Final Fantasy VII 1. Chapter 1

An idea I've been fooling around with for a bit, especially after Dirge of Cerberus. What would happen if Lucrecia wised up and decided to actually talk to Vincent? This is the result, hope you enjoy.

And I don't own Final Fantasy 7, Dirge of Cerberus or any characters appearing in this chapter.

* * *

Lucrecia awoke distressed, sweating and breathing heavily. It was dark out, with only the moonlight from an open window providing any light. Hojo had complained about her leaving the window open, claiming it endangered company property. It was unsettling to think that he meant her, and more specifically, her unborn child.

Lucrecia sat up, brushing her brunette hair behind her ear. Hojo wasn't in the other bed, which would mean he's probably in the basement again. Not surprising, really. The only thing he was interested in was science. Luckily, that made it easier to sneak out without bothering him. She was starving, and it was unlikely she'd get any more sleep anyway. Putting a robe over her nightgown, she quietly made her way out the door and into the hall way.

Her hand slipped over her stomach, three months into her pregnancy. She never thought being pregnant would be like this. But then again, she didn't give it much thought in the first place. She was the only suitable female in the vicinity under Shinra's employ, which meant that she didn't have much of a choice. But more then that, she was eager to make a name for herself, to prove her theories correct. In that regard, she and Hojo had something in common. Vincent didn't agree with it, to put it lightly. But it wasn't his decision to make.

Although, the fact that he cared so much meant a great deal.

But now, she had never been so frightened. Once it was confirmed she was pregnant, the experiments began almost immediately. Jenova was introduced into her system, and every day she could feel her body change. Become more foreign to her as she adapted and absorbed the Jenova cells. Every now and then she'd collapse, and her body would ache every so often.

Shortly after the experiments began, the dreams began. The frequency wasn't consistent, but they were frightening none the less. Like watching a film, images of a familiar woman slaughter innocent people, destroy them inside out, ripping them apart with her mind. This woman did so with a smile on her face, and the eyes of a monster.

Was that what Jenova really was? A monster wearing the guise of an Ancient? Perhaps that's what she was witnessing, some kind of memory. But what did that mean for her, and her child? Jenova was becoming a part of them everyday, would she take them over? Force them to commit atrocities? Would they become monsters as well?

Lucrecia tried not to think of motherhood, because it was unlikely she'd be a mother. It was guaranteed that her child would be poked and prodded until there was nothing left to learn. If there's anything left it'll likely be tossed into some form of combat training in an attempt to make it into a living weapon. She'd probably never hold it, talk to it, or even meet it after giving birth.

It was so easy to ignore before she was pregnant, and in the beginning. How selfish was she? Turning her only child into a monster, and for what? Her name in the paper and a generous paycheck?

But what could she do now? Shinra would never allow her to back out of the project now, and it's impossible to escape from this. Shinra has eyes everywhere, as far as she knows. A part of her thought about asking Vincent for help, but the rest of her stomped on the part ruthlessly. She would not endanger Vincent's life so selfishly. She'd only get him killed like…

As Lucrecia approached the kitchen she ceased that line of thought, trying to shift her thoughts to something more pleasant. It did little good, since the bulk of her good memories involved "Vincent!" she shrieked quietly as she spotted the raven haired man exit the kitchen. Vincent was wearing a white tie shirt and black shorts, with a sandwich in his hand and a shocked expression on his face. He looked devilishly handsome regardless.

"Lucrecia? Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

Lucrecia shook her head, moving past him. "It's nothing." she lied. "I was just hungry. Goodnight."

Watching Lucrecia enter the kitchen, Vincent couldn't help but notice how cold she was now. She seemed so far away, a far cry from so many months ago. From the Lucrecia that always greeted him with a smile and opened up to him. If she was happy, then he could bear this, but he had something to get off his chest. "I... I don't know why your so cold now Lucrecia." He started, causing her to stop. Good, she wasn't ignoring him, it was a start. "If you're happy with the state of things, then fine. I'll transfer out and you'll never have to see me again."

That declaration caused the brunette to turn sharply, disbelief etched on her face. She want wanted to scream out, to rebel against the very thought. Vincent couldn't leave her. It was something she never considered and not a reality she wanted to face. She wasn't strong enough to bear this alone.

Seeing Lucrecia's expression filled Vincent with hope, perhaps there was a chance to salvage their.. what? Friendship? Vincent supposed that's all it could be called now, but the word didn't feel right in the slightest. "But I can't leave without knowing for certain. Is this what you truly desire?"

The woman stood agape at Vincent's confession, unsure of what to say or how to say it. A minute of silence passed before she moved toward the kitchen table and took a seat. Vincent followed suit, pulling something from his back pocket and setting it in the middle of the table. A small device, no more then 4 inches high, that emitted a green light. A communication jammer, she mused silently. A handy device that jammed any tracking or recording device in the immediate vicinity. It was a useful device for those who wanted a conversation to remain private; perfect for a Turk.

Another minute passed, and against her 'better' judgment, Lucrecia began. "It started a few months ago..."

* * *

"Hmph." Vincent grunted in frustration, taking a sip from the glass of liquor he made during her story. It hadn't been that long though. "I, I'm sorry. I should have stopped Hojo." he said quietly, avoiding her gaze.

"There's nothing you could have done." she reassured him, looking down. "We still don't completely understand what Jenova is."

'Although I have a good feeling she's not an Ancient.' She thought sardonically before continuing. "I was determined to see this experiment through. I wanted a reputation so badly I lost sight of what was happening. I deserve this."

Vincent thought of responding to that, but thought better of it. Lucrecia was intent on blaming herself, and arguing over it would do little good. Instead he asked, "What do you intend on doing about it?"

She looked at him as if he just told her she was on fire. "What do you mean? What can I do?" raising her voice slightly, but not particularly caring. Vincent held up his hand to silence her, looking apologetic as he did so.

"I'm willing to do _whatever _is necessary Lucrecia. The question is what do you want to do?"

Lucrecia gaped at him for a few seconds before answering.

* * *

1 week later

"Ms. Crescent? You wanted to see me?", said a guard standing in her doorway. Lucrecia was currently dressed in a simple blue dress, with a thick bag around her arm. "Have you seen my shoes?" she asked in an irritated voice, looking around her room.

The guard suppressed a sigh. They don't pay him enough for this. "I believe they're downstairs ma'am. Will that be all?"

"No actually. I wanted you to tell Dr. Hojo when he wakes up that I'm went to town with Vincent to check out the supplies." She pointed at the sleeping form wrapped under several covers.

"If I may, can't you do that yourself, ma'am?" he asked, a little too whiny for Lucrecia's taste.

"I could, but I told you to do it. And Vincent and I are getting lunch, and I doubt Hojo will join us or wait for me. Is there a problem?"

"No ma'am." the guard relented, defeated.

"Good. Stay here until he awakens. If I need anything Vincent or I will call you."

"Excuse me ma'am, but wouldn't it be better to take some more guards? Your valuable property of Shinra now, should anything happ.." Lucrecia cut him off with a dirty look. "Should anything happen Vincent is more then capable of protecting the both of us." she finished with an air of finality, and an odd, but pleasantly proud feeling towards Vincent.

"A, alright ma'am" the guard surrendered. "Good." she smirked, walking out the door. It's good being the boss.

She looked down, spotting Vincent in his Turk uniform, leaning by the stairs with his arms crossed and eyes closed. She began walking down the stairs, her heart beating faster with each step. What was she doing here? She thought rapidly. This is treason! Suicide! It'll never work and they're both going to die!

Lucrecia, so preoccupied with her frantic thoughts, wasn't paying enough attention to her feet and tripped down the stairs, much to her shock. She closed her eyes, expecting the hard wooden stairs and gravity to take effect. But instead of a painful impact, she was greeted by a pair of arms that caught her, and planted her firmly on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Vincent asked, inspecting her slightly. She looked back at him, and felt more secure then she has in the last three months. She was still frightened, but Vincent's presence made it bearable. She smiled and nodded. "We should go." She whispered. He nodded and reached for the duffle bag beside him, grunting as he lifted it.

Lucrecia slipped into her shoes, light and comfortable, easy enough to run in.

Vincent walked to the door, and opened it for her. Lucrecia stood as the sunlight shone through the door. With renewed conviction, she stepped through.

It was a beautiful day in Nibelheim. Summer was drawing to an end here, but the sun was as bright and warm as ever. Lucrecia remembered fondly the days she and Vincent would go on picnics on days such as this. That is, until she pushed him away; something that is fast becoming her one of her biggest regrets. For so long she was frightened that Vincent would die as a result of his affiliation with her. Just like his father before him.

Lucrecia remembered Grimoire Valentine fondly. He was a brilliant man, always kind to her and always listened to her theories, open to possibilities. He gave her hope and confidence to aspire for greatness. In the end it was her overconfidence that got him killed, in an experiment to summon the WEAPON Chaos.

She sighed sadly as she looked at Vincent, pacing ahead of her slightly. She hadn't told hm yet. She didn't have the courage to. What would he say? What would he do? Would he push her away, leave her on her own? But she knew she'd have to tell him someday, for every day it went unsaid her guilt over the incident grew.

Vincent stopped in front of the Inn and turned to face her. He whispered to her, "You should get something to eat. You'll need the strength. I'll go to work. Meet me at the spot quickly though, and call me if you need anything." It was amazing how professional he sounded. It wasn't a cold tone, but it lacked any feeling. It wasn't a tone she was used to hearing from him. The brunette nodded regardless, and headed inside, sparing a backwards glance at Vincent, who smiled at her. She didn't like being separated like this, but Vincent had to "get to work" as he put it, and she had the feeling it was something she didn't want to see.

Vincent watched her enter the Inn with a smile, before that smile disappeared and his face grew grim. He walked calmly towards the entrance of the town, hand in his pocket.

There was a small station set up by the entrance of the town, with at least half a dozen guards stationed there. Nothing to really worry about, but he would have to be as delicate as possible. Nothing flashy, nothing loud, all targets need to be neutralized. A single button could have at least twenty guards on him, and as good as he was, he wasn't that good.

He was familiar enough with the station, it was build to spite Hojo after he complained about the quality of the parts he was getting. So Heidegger stopped having supplies brought directly to the mansion, which forced him to have to walk down town and inspect the product himself. Vincent didn't care for the Shinra administration, but he silently gave them his kudos for that particular stunt.

Today happened to be a supply day, so that added one more body and transportation.

He came into view of the station, a small building comprised mostly of a few rooms. Security surveillance of the town was run there as well. Two guards were sitting down, playing a game of some sort on a wooden table. The truck was parked a few feet from them, facing the exit. It's likely no one touched anything, last person who did so without permission or knowledge of how to move Hojo's equipment ended up cracking a container, breathed in something he shouldn't have, and wound up dying quite painfully. It was secure to drive, as he knew nothing toxic was on board.

He approached the pair of guards, and the two snapped into attention. He forgot for a moment that he outranked them. "At ease." The two relaxed, and one of them asked. "Good morning Mr. Valentine. What brings you here today?" The raven-haired Turk motioned for the two to come closer, which they did, growing excited. He couldn't blame them for that, this was a rather boring job for some.

"We've recently received information that suggest terrorists will be attempting to steal company property and Ms. Crescent. Radio contact is prohibited. Gather everyone here in the surveillance room immediately." The two looked shock, but nodded regardless and went to their task.

It was a lie he had practiced for a while, but never thought he'd use. Once he knew Lucrecia was pregnant, a part of him always hoped that she would come to him. He wanted her to be happy, so if she wanted to see the experiment through so be it. But something gnawed at him, an uncertainty. He was glad he confronted her last week, despite the danger.

The Turk reached for his gun, but thought better of it. He felt no particular loyalty for these men or Shinra, but something stopped him. Was it pity?

He shrugged, unsure of how to answer. Nonetheless, he fingered a pair of materia in his pocket. He had found some a few months ago while exploring the natural Mako streams in the Nibel Mountains, but he never though he'd use them, perfering his guns to magic. Funny how life works sometimes.

Ten Minutes later, Vincent stood before the surveillance monitors. Behind him were the nine guards stationed here. They all looked excited, whispering amongst themselves about how they'll finally get some action in this 'hick' town. He almost told them that there's nothing glorious about combat, and these days in a peaceful town should be cherished, as it's entirely possible that real terrorists actually do show up and kill all of them with the remorse one has for swatting a fly. But he felt sorry for them, because in all likelihood he was probably about to ruin their careers.

He saw Lucrecia exit the Inn, a guard in tow. She seemed to argue with him for a bit, before relenting and heading towards the station, with him following. Shit. They'll probably be here in a few minutes, best be quick. He reached in his pocket and pulled out two gems, one blue and one green. They glowed in his hand for a moment, before he spun around, gesturing his hand at the group of guards. They looked shocked, before they all fell to the floor, knocked out by a Sleep spell, combined with an All materia. That would keep them out for at least an hour. Plenty of time. He slid the materia back into his pocket, then proceeded to shut off the entire surveillance and communication system, which should by them some more time. Considering he had most of the guards busy today, it would be a while before anyone noticed his smokescreen. Still, Shinra was quite effective when they wanted to be, so he figured this would give them about an hour, maybe two.

A knock on the door came, followed by a male voice. "Mr. Valentine? Are you in there sir?" Quickly and quietly, Vincent moved behind the door, pulling the Sleep materia from his pocket. "Come in."

The guard did so, and Vincent seized him, holding him fast and covering his mouth. It took longer for the sleep spell to take effect, since the target was far more alert then the nine he just took out. Within a minute though, Vincent's sleeper hold and the sleep spell took effect, and the man slumped down. With a sigh of relief at a situation that could have gone very awry, he laid him behind the door and left the room, locking it behind him. Lucrecia was already in the truck's passenger seat, eating some kind of candy bar.

As he reached for his bag, Vincent began to wonder. Should he have killed the guards? When they walk up they'll alert everyone of the situation.

'No' he shook his head as he headed towards the truck; bag in hand, keys in the other. Someone will get suspicious when they don't report in anyway, and he'll be branded a traitor regardless because of the surveillance footage from the base. No point in killing pointlessly, that's what his father told him when he became a Turk. He and he's father weren't as close as they could have been, but he was a wise man, and his advice should be considered.

Besides, something told him he'll need the bullets.


	2. Chapter 2

"So what brings you all the way up here?" Ifalna asked the man lightly, pulling her scarf closer. She never did like the weather in Icicle Inn, always covered in snow due to the lack of Lifesteam energy gathered in the land. Still, it was home. The man she walked with didn't seem to care for the weather either, as he almost slipped every now and then.

"Ah, I was on my way to Northern Crater again." Dr. Gast Faremis explained, wiping off melted snow from his glasses. A futile effort, he realized, as only more replaced it.

"Again?" Ifalna asked, surprised. One trip alone was thought to suicide, to attempt a second trip? He was either reckless or incredibly brave.

"I can't take all the credit." He explained, rubbing his head embarrassingly. "My company assisted me after all. I discovered something incredible for the human race, and I was hoping I'd be able to find something else."

"Still, to survive such a harsh trip is impressive." Ifalna smiled. "What company do you work for?"

"Shinra."

"Oh."

Her deflation was noticeable, and disappointing. Still, he could hardly blame her. Even with how generously Shinra had funded him, he couldn't ignore what the company was, and what they wanted from him. It was corruption at it's best, and should he cease to be useful he feared for his future, given what he knows. Still, might as well do something worthwhile if your working for the devil, right? It's what drove him to study the Ancients and Jenova in the first place. Although he greatly regretted using live subjects for testing, it was for the greater good.

Right?

Regardless, dwelling on such thoughts are irrelevant. The past, as they say, has past. He only hoped Mr. Valentine would take care of Lucrecia, and stop Hojo from doing something stupid.

"So," she perked up, startling him slightly. "What did you find? At Northern Crater?"

"Ah, well I suppose I can tell you. Just keep it quiet alright?" She zipped her lips, indicating her personal vow of silence. "Well, it's believed that what we've found are the remains of..."

"Professor!" a voice interrupted.

The pair looked behind to see a guard running towards them. He stopped just a few feet in front of Gast, and paid Ifalna no mind. "Sir, we've just receive some bad news. We have to head back to Nebilheim now; on orders from the president."

"What happen?"

The guard glanced at Ifalna. Taking the hint, the young woman covered her ears, glancing upward in a "I'm not here" sort of way. Not particularly trusting the woman's honesty, he whisper to the professor anyway. "It seems Vincent Valentine's defected sir. He has subdued most of the guards and abducted Ms. Crescent."

Gast wasn't quite sure how to response to that news. The scientist in him was disappointed at losing a test subject. The human being in him was applauding Mr. Valentine for doing what he was too afraid to do. He decided that the scientist's concerns were too vocal lately, and the human being was the best way to go. But such a reaction wasn't appropriate, given his company. So he simply shook his head. "Very well. Let us go."

The guard turned and walked back to the small camp Shinra had set up. He looked back at Ifalna, who looked worried. "I'm afraid our "date" is at an end Ms..?"

"Just Ifalna. You'll come back won't you? You own me a date!" She exaggerated, grinning as she did so.

"Yes I will. It's nice to see a town untainted, I mean uninvolved with Shinra." He sighed deeply, disappointed that his time was cut short. Still, the prospect of seeing Ifalna again was oddly pleasant. Strange. "Until next time." He bowed slightly, then turned back to the camp.

Ifalna watched him go, a little disappointed herself. She kinda liked him.

'Well, I guess I'll visit mother.' She decided. She was already close to the inn, so it was a short walk. As she entered she saw the doctor slipping his snow boots on when he looked up at her. "Ifalna. I was about to go find you. I'm afraid your mother has taken a turn for the worst."

She had been aware of that. Both she and mother had felt her life slipping away, in a way most were incapable of. At this rate she might not last past tonight. "Can she speak?" She asked solemnly, although she didn't quite feel that way. She would certainly miss her mother's earthly form, but she would always be with her, watching over her from the Lifestream. When Ifalna was little, it had taken some time for her to grasp why most were so saddened by the passing of a loved one, until mother explained that most couldn't her the voices of the planet, and it truly was goodbye for them when they lost a loved one. Such a fact saddened her terribly.

"Apparently so, she's been asking for you."

"Ok."

The pair made their way to a moderate sized room, the sole occupant an elderly woman. Other then her only daughter, she had no other family, being the last two Centra. The older woman looked at the pair enter, beaming at her daughter, a splitting image of herself when she was younger. Ifalna sat on a stool next to the bed and rested a hand on her mother's shoulder. "I'm here mother." She smiled. The doctor quietly excused himself.

The elder woman sat up with some assistance. Placing her hands on her lap, she asked, "How was your date?", smiling playfully at her daughter's confused expression. Ifalna smiled again. Her mother would have been a rarity even among Centra in their prime, as she was blessed with The Sight by the Goddess Minerva. She could peer into the present or possible futures, see the threads of fate being sown. Of course there was a price; mentioning any significant events in detail before they happen was forbidden, and The Sight's purpose in any case was to see to it that such events _do_ happen, not to avoid them. No doubt she saw how she meet Gast, how he had accidentally tripped over her in his haste. She had decided on a date to make up for it.

"It went well. He was called away on business. Although I am wary. He works for Shinra, and they seem to be after Centra remains."

"I see." the elderly woman suppressed a chuckle, knowing at least part of what was in store for her daughter's relationship with Gast. Still, best to get to business. "You recall what I told you last week? Of a terrible darkness born in Nibelheim?" she nodded. "It seems things are changing."

"In what way?"

"Something has happen. I cannot see it clearly, but there is a good probability that particular evil will not come to be."

"That's good news."

"Not necessarily. As the darkness I spoke of fades, the light that would have countered it is darkening. Light and darkness must maintain balance, after all. And I fear what will replace Nibelheim's evil is much worst."

"That's not fair." Ifalna complained silently, not knowing how else to explain it.

"Life scarcely is, my dear. We are all slaves to the desires of another, be it fate or the whims of gods. I suspect there is another power directing the Goddess Minerva, though I lack the power or favor of the gods to know for sure." She reached out for her daughter, clasping her hand and looking at her pleadingly, wanting to say something but unable. "Please be careful."

* * *

Roughly half an hour passed in awkward silence, which Lucrecia didn't enjoyed. It wasn't something she was use to with Vincent, honestly. The both always had a subject in mind when they talked before. But what do you say in such a situation? What was Vincent thinking about right now? Perhaps he's thinking about what they'll do when they get to...

'Wait? Where are we going?' Lucrecia thought suddenly. It was odd that she didn't even consider were she was going in the first place.

"Vincent?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are we going?"

He looked as if he just remembered something, then he started, "You know the ship that brings supplies from Midgar?"

"Yes?" she answered, not sure where this was going.

"I had a friend commandeer it. It'll meet us just outside Cosmo Canyon."

"A friend?" she wondered aloud, curious. Vincent had never mentioned him, which was odd. The only 'friends' of his she knew of were his fellow Turks. But Lucrecia wasn't particularly worried about that, as she knew Vincent was smart enough not to involve anyone from Shinra. "How do you know him?"

"Don't worry, he's not with Shinra. His name's Cyan. I meet him out in Wutai while I was on vacation."

"Wutai?" Lucrecia questioned. She had heard very little of that country; bits and pieces heard in passing, which wasn't a coincidence she was sure. Shinra held a tight grip on the media, and news of any country Shinra didn't have a hand in was barely mentioned, if that. Still, Vincent seemed to know more then most about the country, given he went on _vacation_ there.

"I go there every now and then, on my own. No one knows about it, and it's out of Shinra's control. That's where we'll hide out. The people aren't so bad. A few bigots, but every town has those. Cyan was in the area so I asked him for some help. He agreed, but there was a condition."

"What was it?" she asked. He didn't answer immediately, which made her nervous. "What does he want?"

"He wants to train your child."

"Excuse me?" she questioned, genuinely angry at Vincent for the first time since they started this little 'trip'. He offered her child up without her permission?

Vincent winced slightly as he elaborated."I explained the situation to him, he was intrigued and said he wants to train your child when he or she is ready. He's not affiliated with anyone, so no one's getting a weapon." Gauging her reaction, Lucrecia didn't seem to buy it. The former Turk shrugged, there wasn't any better way to describe it. "That's just how Cyan is, he takes students with potential from around the world and tries to bring it out."

That sounded awfully familiar... "Like Zangan?" she asked, familiar with that particular philosophy. Zangan was a world famous martial arts master, who to date, has defeated anyone any challenger he's ever encountered with his unique style, _Zangan-Ryu_. That list included several Turks and Shinra officers as well. At the moment Zangan is traveling the world on a quest to spread his art, having stopped by Nibelheim a few times. He was disappointed to find nothing exceptional. Still, he stopped by every now and then on his travels; he liked the people and hospitality, and once claimed an elderly prophetess in Icicle Inn said he'd find student of unbelievable potential in Nibelheim someday. Lucrecia didn't believe in something as ridiculous as that, but Zangan's skill was undeniable.

"Exactly. Cyan isn't as known as Zangan, but he's every bit as skilled. He knows Zangan too, from what I hear. I figured it was best for the child to protect itself should the time arise. With Cyan's training, I fear for anyone in his path."

"I see." Lucrecia responded. She didn't like this, not in the slightest. It's bad enough for him to make this kind of decision without her, but she understood his reasons and rational. The child would have to learn how to take care of itself, should Shinra find them. She looked out the window with a saddened expression. Not only that, but there's always the possibility of monsters attacking him, or terrorists recruiting him. So many enemies, and he, or she, wasn't born yet? The world truly is a cruel place.

"So, have you decided on a name?" Vincent asked, hoping to better her mood.

"Tifa, if it's a girl."

"That's an unusual name."

"I like it," she defended, pouting slightly. "A young man in the Inn, Mr. Lockhart suggested it. I think he wanted it for himself though." She chuckled, and he joined her.

"Tifa Crescent. Interesting. What if it's a boy?" he asked.

She stiffened slightly. Should she tell him, or make something up? Did his father tell him that? Still looking out the window, she chose to tell him. "...Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth Crescent. That's even stranger." He chuckled, and she sighed in relief.

"Did my father give you that one?"

She froze, turning to meet his gaze, expecting a hateful glare, an accusing tone, anything but what she got. He wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the road with an interested look.

"My father wanted to name me that, but my mother forced him to pick Vincent. She said "Sephiroth was a mouth full. It doesn't flow as well Vincent Valentine." He smiled fondly.

He glanced at her, still keeping his attention on the road, and his smile disappeared. "What's wrong?" Noting her bewildered expression.

She envisioned this moment so many times before. Vincent would find out the identity of his father's killer, and shun her, grow to despise her, so many terrible things but this. He knew this entire time, and yet he continued to look at her the same. With that concerned look that could melt her heart. "It's nothing."She said quietly, smiling at him. He blushed slightly, but said nothing. Lucrecia turned back to the window, glancing at the orange sky.

"It's nothing."

* * *

The truck slowed to a stop by the river dividing Nibelheim and Cosmo Canyon. The sun was setting, the darkness of night slowly appearing on the horizon. Lucrecia spotted the ship immediately. It was a fairly large vessel, the size of the Shinra mansion at least. She reached for the door handle, but Vincent stopped her. "Hold on a sec." he whispered. He flicked on the head lights rapidly twice, and then left them on. A flashlight flashed on the ship, staying on a few seconds, then flashed rapidly, twice, and blinked out. Satisfied, Vincent honked the horn, then turned off the engine. He didn't exit the truck though. Shortly afterward, a large searchlight on the side of the ship scanned the path they traveled, and then turned off. Vincent smirked, reaching for the door handle. "Let's go."

Lucrecia blinked, thoroughly confused at the exchange that took place. She complied nonetheless, and exited the truck. Vincent was already waiting for her, duffel bag in hand. He helped her down, and she asked, "What was that?" He scratched his head in embarrassment. "That was to make sure Cyan succeeded in capturing the ship. The searchlight made sure Shinra wasn't following us. Either they still haven't figured out we're gone, or they're gathering their forces. "

She nodded in understanding, and silently began reflecting on what exactly she was doing. Months ago, Lucrecia would have never considered defecting from Shinra, and only last week, she didn't even consider it possible. After letting Vincent know that she had thought about it, he laid down a rather intricate plan that covered every contingency both of them could think of. She wasn't aware of depth of knowledge Vincent had of Shinra, and it was at that time she truly understood that Vincent was a Turk, and all that that entailed.

The two reached the top of the ramp, and were greeted by a man in his late 40s. He wore a dark blue armor, with black pants and a pair of swords at his side. He had black hair tied into a ponytail. The man greeted Vincent with a grin and a handshake. "It's been some time Vincent." He spared a glance at Lucrecia, his grin widening. "The gods have been kind to you."

"It's good to see you Cyan. Thank you for this. This is Lucrecia Crescent." He gestured in her direction. Lucrecia held out her hand, which the man shook. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Cyan."

The man shrugged. "Just Cyan, please. Think nothing of it. Vincent and I are friends. To be honest, I do look forward to training your child."

Lucrecia's face fell a little. "About that Cyan. I want to ask something of you." Cyan's face fell as well, but he said nothing.

Vincent decided to intervene. "We can discuss this on the boat. We should probably go." The other two nodded, understanding the logic behind Vincent's haste to leave. Shinra could be on there trail right now, and the more distance between them and Shinra, the better.

* * *

In the inside of the ship, Lucrecia sat at a table. Cyan was making some kind of herbal tea, and Vincent was on deck, looking out for Shinra. She had wished he were with her, but personal preference didn't take precedence over their safety. She had asked who would steer the ship, with Cyan preparing something below and Vincent on look out. Vincent assured her he was up to the task, and apparently they weren't staying on the ship long enough for that to be a problem. Cyan and Vincent intended to destroy the ship, via explosives at the bottom of the ship. The party would then make their way to Wutai with a smaller vessel in an attempt to buy time or fake their deaths, Lucrecia didn't know and Vincent wasn't sure, but once they were in deep Wutai territory it didn't matter, as Vincent was positive that Shinra won't pursue them that far. Lucrecia supposed it made sense, would be more costly pursuing them than simply redoing the experiment. It was shocking that Vincent could procure that amount of explosives in under a week undetected, but Lucrecia didn't bother questioning it at this point.

Cyan had set down a mug of tea, than sat down across from her, with his own mug. Lucrecia took a sip and was surprised at how good it was. Cyan noticed her look and bore a proud expression, which faded after a moment. "You wanted to discuss something?" he asked innocently, but she could see his hesitancy. He was worried she would forbid him to train her child. Never mind that he could overpower her with frightening ease. Cyan was an honorable man, and something told her he won't do something so heinous. That would put him in an awkward position, as he was promised by a friend that he would get student for his assistance. Would he follow through even though he wasn't getting a student, or abandon them both in the wilderness?

Fortunately, that wasn't Lucrecia's intent. She owed Cyan a great debt for his assistance, and she couldn't take this away from him even if she wanted to.

"I don't like it that my child has to fight. But the world's not so kind, right?" She saw him nod. "Vincent tells me your one of the best, so I'm not too worried about my child being able to defend itself. What I am afraid of is what it might become."

Lucrecia noted his confusion, and began to clarify. "I'm, we're an experiment by Shinra to create bio-weapons. Based on the data collected by an associate and myself, the baby will have incredible strength and speed, heightened senses; he will be super-human in every sense of the phrase. And with someone like you training him. I…" She hugged herself and shivered, memories of Jenova slaughtering Ancients appearing vividly in her mind.

"I don't want my child to become a monster Cyan."

Understanding dawned on Cyan as he digested her words. It was an valid concern. The elder man had seen many bright and cheerful children develop into monsters with no regard for human life, with a number of factors playing a part of such developments. It's hard to predict or stop such influences once they've already taken root, and as the old saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely. If Miss Crescent's suspicions are accurate, then something must be done, or else the child could develop into a tyrant, or something much, much worse.

"Promise me, if you see something off, if the child becomes too dangerous, you'll do what you have to." Lucrecia asked silently.

"I swear on my ancestors, I will do what is necessary. But I have a feeling I won't have to." Lucrecia was shocked at his confidence, but didn't know how to respond. The two sat in silence for some time. "Thank you for the tea." she replied finally, rising from the chair. "I'll check on Vincent." The older man rose as well. "Very well then. I shall check below. Thank you for your time, Ms. Crescent." He bowed slightly, then made his way further into the ship.

Lucrecia watched him go with something she recognized as relief. She hadn't known him long, but she could count on Cyan. She turned to the door, reaching for her bag, but thinking better of it. It was certainly valuable, with all of her data pertaining to Omega and the Jenova Project on several flash drives, as well as the Protomateria and some spare clothing, but she didn't really need it at the moment. No sense in bringing along more baggage.

* * *

Lucrecia stepped out the door, the fresh cool air washing over her. There were lamps illuminating the boat. Her initial assessment of the ship had been accurate, it was about the size of the Shinra mansion. The deck (she thinks that's what it's called) was made of polished wood that creaked slightly. The rear half of the ship was were the entrance to the bottom of the ship was, which was best described as a large box with a door on the front. Still, it surprised her how simple a design it was, from what she had seen. Of course Lucrecia didn't know nearly enough about ships to be accurate about such things, so she didn't bother thinking about it too much.

She didn't spot Vincent anywhere on deck, so she wondered to the back of the boat.

Vincent was sitting with his back to the wall, duffle bag open, putting together a large rifle of sorts. He looked as if he were in some sort of trance, as he assembled the rifle with practiced ease and a certain elegance Lucrecia admired. "You should get down." he said coolly, as he finished the gun's assembly. "Shinra might have snipers around." he clarified. With difficulty, Lucrecia worked her way beside him. The former Turk slid a green materia into a compartment, and the rifle made a whirling sound of sorts. He saw that she eyed the rifle curiously, so he held it forward slightly, letting her get a good look at it. With a good amount of pride, he started. "This is a customized rifle, modeled after the Littner M82. It worked the same as any rifle, but it can also fire condensed magic shots using Materia; not very popular among gun enthusiast, who prefer lead and steel to magic, but I've always liked it. It also has a compartment that allows it to fire arrows."

After he finished his explanation, he moved to the other side of the boat, setting the rifle over the side of the boat that faced the truck, which as faded from view. He adjusted the scope until he was satisfied, then sat there. "Something wrong?" she asked lightly.

"Yeah. This is strange, the fact that we got this far without Shinra interfering. I expected them to show up by the time we got to the boat, but now it seems like they've given up."

"That might be they're intent." She offered, "To lure us into a false sense of security."

"Hmm, perhaps. Or, they may be calling in reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?"

"Turks."

Turks. Shinra's personal assassination and covert ops force. It's very own elite force, that carried out Shinra's dirty work. Surely it wouldn't be that serious?

"It's that serious." Vincent commented, seemingly reading her mind. "Not to brag, but I'm a Turk, Shinra's not going to waste time sending grunts against me with so little information on the situation. And they might be hoping a _former_ comrade of mine can talk me out of this." he chuckled, which puzzled her. "A Turk would know better than that though. They'll be coming to kill me and my accomplice."

He glance back at Lucrecia, who looked down, taken aback at such negative talk. "I won't fail you, Lucrecia." He whispered, looking back through the scope, misunderstanding her body language.

"That's not what I'm worried about, Vincent."

"I see. I apologize."

"...Vincent?" Lucrecia asked, looking up. "What did you think of your father?"

"I think he was a wise man, but at the same time, I had difficulty seeing him as a father. He wasn't cold towards me. We got along quite well, actually. But ever since my mother died, there was a kind of distance between us." He sighed slightly, eyes darting across the sky and waters, searching for any activity. Finding none, he continued. "I believe it hurt for him to see me, as I resemble my mother greatly from what he said. Eventually his fame grew and he spent less time in the house. I followed my own career as well, and eventually we only saw each other twice a week, at best. Still, I do miss him," It felt strange relating this story to another. He had never told it to anyone, but then he didn't know to many people to begin with. "Why do you ask?"

"You knew about my relationship to your father right?"

"Yes. He talked about you often. Thought of you as a daughter. And of course, I received a brief report on your activities when I was assigned to the mansion in Nibelheim, in addition to Hojo's."

Lucrecia was silent for a time, and Vincent didn't push her. 'What should I do?' she thought. Should she leave it as is, content with Vincent's attitude in the truck, and now? He was telling her this now, with no hesitation, no anger or doubt in his voice. He didn't seem to hate her, but maybe he did at some point? Did she really want to know? "Did you ever, blame me for what happened?"

"Why would I do that?" He asked quietly, turning to her with a very confused look. He shrugged. "Accidents happen, and he knew the risks. I would never blame you for something like that." he finished as he turned back the rifle.

Lucrecia sat there, dumbfounded and... disappointed? There it was. Vincent had never blamed her for his father's death, it had never even occurred to him as an option? That should surely make her happy, right? So where was this bitter feeling coming from?

She smiled ruefully as she realized. It was so familiar a feeling she should have recognized it sooner. Regret. All her months avoiding Vincent, of beating herself up over this, of turning to _Hojo _of all people, were pointless. Worthless, time wasted, more regrets piled over her steadily growing collection. Months she could have spent with Vincent. She wouldn't try to deny it now. She loved him. It felt so embarrassing and awkward (and really good) to think and she would never say it out loud, but it was true. And now they're running for their lives trying to escape from this hell she put _herself _through, after practically giving her body and her child to a genocidal alien? She forced Vincent to give up his career, his livelihood, his future for her. All because she didn't ask a question?

She tried not to cry. It would distract Vincent and she would waste more of his time and endanger all of their lives if he wasn't alert. And yet it was so hard to stop when the first few tears leaked out. And Vincent, always so alert, heard her. She covered her face as best she could but it was too late anyway. He moved beside her to try to comfort her. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." she managed.

"I disagree." he replied, and she laughed a bit at how silly it sounded.

"It's really nothing." she said as she wiped her eyes. She tried her best to smile. "I was just thinking about how much time I wasted is all."

Vincent leaned back, sighing deeply. "You aren't the only one." Lucrecia said nothing, waiting him to continue. He obliged. "When you distanced yourself from me, I was confused, but If that's what you wanted then that was enough. All I've wanted was for you to be happy, but you weren't, I know that now. I'm sorry I couldn't see that sooner."

She, as Vincent might phrase it, disagreed. She did this to herself. That was fact, and nothing he said could have persuaded her foolishness then. But she did notice a pattern. Both of them were determined to blame themselves for hurting the other. At the moment, Lucrecia was so tired of regrets, of feeling sorry over the past. So for now she was content to just sit here for a while.

Neither of them knew what else say. But then, nothing else really needed to be said.

* * *

That's Chapter 2. Thanks to those who checked out the story, gave me some motivation. Let me know how I'm doing.

Cyan from this is intended to be the one from Final Fantasy VI. Well, not the exact same one, sort of an alternate universe version. I prefer it over creating an entirely new character. Of course it's been a while since I played 6, so let me know if I got his character down.

Borrowed a line of sorts from Carl Reflector's Code Geass, Lelouch of Britainnia (in my favs, for a good reason too.). Of course if he has a problem with it It'll be removed immediately.


	3. Chapter 3

The two sat in silence for little over an hour. It was nice, Lucrecia decided, not being burdened with their past any longer. She did regret what had transpired and she probably always would, but after Vincent's confession, and the subsequent silence, she started feeling lighter for some reason. She had figured it was some reassurance of how she felt for Vincent, and what he, hopefully, felt about her. He didn't seem to mind their proximity to one another, which was a plus. She'll have to ask him about it later. No harm in being sure, right?

Regardless, she was starting to get sleepy. No doubt she'd doze off soon. She yawned, which further highlighted her sleepiness. She was about to ask Vincent, who seemed wide awake but a little relaxed, where the beds were, when she heard a... sound? She didn't really know how to describe it, a kind of flapping? It seemed kind of far off, but getting closer. "Vincent? Do you hear that?" she asked, shaking him slightly. Apparently he did; he perked up, becoming much more alert. "Get inside. Now." he said firmly as he quickly slid to his rifle, searching the sky with the scoop. Lucrecia, very confused, asked. "What is it?"

"A Helicopter." he confirmed, his tone the composed professional she had come to know. "Shinra found us. Stay down, get inside and tell Cyan we've got company, probably Turks."

Lucrecia froze, wide awake yet paralyzed as realization fell upon her. Shinra was here. A loud bang rang out as Vincent fired his rifle at an unseen target, which snapped her out of paralysis. "Go." Vincent managed calmly, forcing her to comply with the utmost haste.

* * *

"Go." he managed. Vincent heard her rush inside and shut the door. He hoped he sounded as calm as humanly possible. In reality his heart was pounding furiously, praying to any god that listened that Lucrecia and Cyan at least made it out of this. He managed to take out the sniper on the side of the helicopter before he got a shot, but Vincent knew that wasn't all Shinra had to offer. He contemplated taking out the helicopter, but thought better of it. Even if he did manage it, they might aim the fallen vehicle at them. Still, only one helicopter? It would be here shortly, no doubt, but that was it? He searched the waters, finding nothing peculiar. This wasn't Shinra's style, and no Turk would half ass an operation like this.

He heard a slight creak on his left, and on instinct alone, he jumped to the right. His instincts rewarded him, as a short burst of bullets fired on his previous position. The shot came from around the corner, with an arm sticking out. He rolled to his feet, pulling his customized, triple barreled pistol, Cerberus, from its holster inside his jacket, firing on a hand holding the gun as he steadied himself. The bullets hit home as he heard his would-be assassin curse and fall, his hand pulverized as three bullets tore through it with unparalleled accuracy. He quickly rounded the corner and saw he was accurate in his earlier assessment, Shinra did have more to offer. The Turk he had just shot was Jarvas, from the look of things. He planted his foot on Jarvas' chest, holding him to the ground as he scanned ahead and behind him. He saw no one else, so far.

"Damn it, Vince! Get off!" Jarvas screamed, and Vincent tried not to roll his eyes, almost reminding Jarvas that he just tried to kill him. Instead he fired another round into Jarvas' left shoulder, ignoring his screams. Vincent picked up the gun Jarvas dropped and tucked it back under his belt, then forced the man to his feet and wrapped his right arm around him, his fist hovering dangerously close to Jarvas' shoulder wound. The former Turk kept his gun hand forward, walking slowly with his human shield shouting. Jarvas was taller then he was, so very little of his body was exposed. They almost rounded the corner to the deck when Vincent asked. "How many more are there?"

"Piss off!" He yelled. Vincent responded by punching his wound. "F, four!" He sputtered, and no sooner then that had two daggers, roughly four inches he guessed, embedded themselves into Jarvas' head and heart. He was dead instantly.

His eyes fell to the source of the blades, a petite blond woman in her mid twenties, standing in the middle of the deck. She sighed as she shook her head. "Damn it, Jarvas. Your not suppose to blurt out information like a moron." She shrugged regardless, apparently not caring either way. Gun still pointed forward, Vincent began, "Aliza. How's the baby?" he asked conversely. He was sure she wouldn't give any information so easily. Best to lower her guard first. Although he had superior range, both of them were quick on they're feet, making it difficult to land a hit. She shrugged again, resting her hands behind her head. "A royal pain in the ass." she responded with a certain fondness. "Got my neighbor to look after her for a bit. She just loves little Scarlet." Her nonchalant smile turned shark-like in an instant, and Vincent checked to see if he were ready to move, should he need to. "You won't want to take her mommy from her would you?"

"If I have to." he responded resolutely, noting that despite her relaxed appearance, she was quite alert. Guess they'll have to do this the old fashion way. He eyed his precious gun, noting that he had fired six bullets, leaving twelve shots left.

Her grin widened even more, if it were possible. "That's why I always I liked you Vinnie." With honed practice, she threw six knives at him that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Vincent moved what was left of his shield in the way, absorbing the blows. Deemed too heavy to use, he shoved it forward. She was already flanking his right, tossing a pair of daggers at his position. He rolled out the way, jumping forward to avoid more daggers, and then brought his gun forward as he leaped. With Aliza in his sights, he fired, striking her in the right shoulder. She winced as she held it, being pushed against the railing by the force of the blow. Vincent rose to his feet, slowly closing the distance between them. "Where are the others?"

"Heh. Haven't figured it out yet huh?" she grinned, despite the holes in her shoulder.

He raised his eyebrows at that, and then looked back slightly. The door to the interior of the ship was open. "I see." He heard a splash. Looking back at Aliza, he saw that she was gone, over the edge it seems. No matter. Cyan might need some help. He began making his way to the door when searchlights fell upon him, and he felt like kicking himself for forgetting there was a helicopter on the way, and now it was right above him.

* * *

"Cyan!" she shouted, running as best she could through the interior of the ship. She moved sluggishly, thanks to the added weight and awkwardness of pregnancy, although she wasn't as tired as she thought she'd be. As she rounded down another pair of stairs she stopped, looking around futilely at unfamiliar surroundings. It was no good. She had no idea where she or Cyan was. It was then that she spotted it, a speaker box in the top corner of the hall. That might mean...

"I think she went this way." she heard from around the corner, upstairs. It was accompanied by footsteps. It never occurred to her that she normally wouldn't be able to hear that, as far more pressing matters warranted her attention. Color drained from her face as she looked further, spotting a telephone-like device in the middle of the hall. The floor number, 4, was next to the device. She ran to it and picked it up, speaking into the device. "Cyan! There are Turks on board!" She was rewarded by her voice booming through the speaker. "I'm on the fourth floor and they're coming for me! And Vincent,"

She never finished, as a finger pressed down on the dial. Lucrecia slowly turned towards the owner, a middle aged red head with wild hair and an even wilder grin. "Odds are he's dead, babe."

* * *

Vincent heard a machine start up. He knew instantly what it was, a Gatling gun installed on every Shinra helicopter, and immediately jumping for cover. He rolled to his feet immediately, placing his back to the wall and counting his blessing that they missed.

"Hurry after him!" someone shouted, which he barely made out over the helicopter. Shooting the two lamps on both sides of him, Vincent jumped over the side, onto the rowboat hanging over the side of the ship. He knelled down and reloaded Cerberus; the helicopter couldn't see him from here. Almost immediately, five figures rounded both sides, all armed with rifles. Shinra guards, essentially fodder known collectively as grunts by Turks and the Shinra administration. Although not as dangerous as a Turk, they still shouldn't be taken lightly.

"Where'd he go?" one of them questioned, utterly confused at the absence of the target. Said target was reaching into his breast pocket with his free hand, producing two green gems. He set one on the chain hanging from his gun, the other in his palm. There were two groups of five, both of which were grouped together nicely. Perfect.

"Maybe he went overboard?" the same grunt asked, sticking his head over the railing without clearing it of suspicion. It made his job easier. The grunt barely spotted him in the dark, but it made no difference. Three bullets fired simultaneously from Cerberus, striking the grunt in the head. As the group screamed amongst themselves, Vincent jumped toward the back of the ship, firing a Fira spell towards the furthest group. The effect was that of a grenade. Those with keener senses jumped as best they could, but none of them escaped the radius of the blast. The more fortunate ones were blown overboard, the less fortunate ones were blown apart.

He landed cleanly on the other side of the remaining group, in front of a frightened grunt. The grunt fired a few shots, but it made no difference. Vincent's free arm shot forward, striking the man's throat and crushing his windpipe. The other four, not caring about they're comrade's predicament, fired relentlessly at him and Vincent. Vincent held his gun forward and braced himself, praying again to whoever listened that this to work. As the dying guard was torn to shreds, they noticed that Vincent wasn't at all affected, protected by a pale white barrier. Vincent almost grinned at the (presumably) wide eyes shock on their faces as he pointed his hand forward, a Fira spell erupting from it. History repeated itself as the spell did to them as it did to they're allies.

As the fire died down, Vincent fell to his knees. His right side suddenly sent waves of pain throughout his entire body. Slowly, he reach for his side, wincing as his fingers made light contact. He looked at his hand, capable of seeing the blood even in the dark thanks to the moonlight. Vincent glanced at what was left of the first guard he took out, who fired the first shots.

"Shit." he muttered quietly.

* * *

"Let go of me!" Lucrecia screamed as she struggled against her red haired captor. To her credit, she seemed stronger then she thought, given how much force he was using, but in the end it was futile. Lucrecia swore she heard a mild scrapping below them, but her captors didn't hear anything.

"Can't do that doc." he grinned mockingly as he forced her to walk forward, arms held behind her back. "Company orders and all. You know all about that I imagine." he continued, poking Lucrecia's swollen stomach lightly. "Can't believe you let 'em knock you up, just for a paycheck! Pretty pathetic lady." He barked a laugh as Lucrecia fought back bitter tears, unable to deny his accusations. "And with that Hojo freak too! I mean I'm surprised he could even get it up, even with a... specimen as lovely as you. Of course, gotta wonder if he's the real daddy, since your so lovey dovey with Vince. Or maybe," he leaned forward slightly, whispering to her, "you_ don't_ know who the dad is, if you get me drift?" Even from his vantage point he could see her expression, too agape at his insinuations to properly response, which only prompted him to continue. "If you're lucky, maybe Shinra'll let you live, working for Don Corneo! I'm sure you'd enjoy that!"

As Lucrecia was about response at such brazen comments, her other captor decided to intervene."That's enough, Sachez." the silent man with brunette hair commented, arms crossed behind his back with a sword remarkably similar to Cyan's. "I have no interest in hearing you slander Ms. Crescent in such a manner." He looked back at the two, his eyes glazing over Lucrecia for a second before turning back ahead.

The red head, Sachez, grumbled, his fun spoiled. "Have it your way Mace."

"Mason." he corrected, shacking his head as he did so.

"Whatever."

Lucrecia was surprised to find herself grateful to the other man, thought she would never voice it. The captors and prisoner reached the third floor when Mason stopped. He cursed quietly and grabbed the two of them, jumping out of the way. Where Mason once stood several flashes of light accompanied by the sound of steel slicing steel followed. Lucrecia stood aghast as a hole was cut through the floor. Shortly after Cyan jumped through the hole, flipped in mid air and landed on the side of the hole closer to them.

The captive and her captors rose to there feet. To Lucrecia and Sachez's surprise, Mason bowed slightly. "It's been some time, Master Cyan."

Cyan nodded, his face grim. "Indeed it has. I am disappointed that you would use your skills for Shinra."

Mason looked regretful, smiling bitterly. "So am I. I don't appreciate having to kidnap women and work with filth, but I don't know of anything else. Skill alone doesn't feed you in Midgar, Master."

The elder man sighed, understanding his point, but not particularly liking it. He drew his sword. "I don't suppose they do. Your prepared I take it?" The former student nodded. "Be gentle with her then."

Lucrecia and Sachez looked puzzled at the exchange, before Mason grabbed Lucrecia from his partner. "I leave him to you. Try to stay alive." he remarked curtly, fully expecting him not to. Without another word, he ran upstairs with his prisoner, leaving a very confused partner behind. It only took Sachez a few seconds to respond. "What the hell is this? Fuckin' coward!" he yelled, spitting on the ground in contempt. Cyan chuckled at his former student's act. "It's not cowardice. He just knows what battles he can win. And this one, he can not."

The red head looked back at the elder man, sizing him up. Not particularly impressed, he cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna kill that bastard when I'm finished here." he muttered, settling into an unfamiliar stance that was full of holes in his defense. Although it might be good enough against graceless punks and grunts, against a skilled opponent he would have trouble. And before Cyan was through with him, he would know what true skill meant.

"You won't get that far."

* * *

Vincent managed to work his way to his bag, albeit very painfully. He reached for his bag, pulling the last materia he had on him, a "Cure" materia. It wasn't nearly as powerful as they others, since he didn't have to heal himself very often. Still, it should stop the bleeding and most of the pain. Starting to feel dizzy and a little chilly, he clenched his teeth, determined not to die this way. He clutched the green gem tightly in one hand, his other began to glow a pale green. The raven haired man extended his hand in the air slightly, casting the spell. It's effects were immediate; most of the pain was gone and the damaged area was repairing itself, if only slightly. There was still some internal damage no doubt, but Cyan could attend to that later. He didn't notice how heavily he was breathing until it stopped. Vincent patched himself up slightly; although the bleeding may have stopped, enough force could force the wound open.

He got to his feet, wincing slightly as he did so. He wasn't at his best right now, but Cyan might need him; he didn't have time for this. Grabbing the strap of his rifle and bag, he half-ran, half-walked around the ship, avoiding as much charred remains as possible. When he reached the corner, he looked around it slightly. The helicopter was still there, which was no surprise. It did pose a problem; he didn't have the energy for another spell like Fira, and he doubted a low level Shield spell could hold long against a Gatling gun. He didn't want to resort to this, but it seems he doesn't have a choice.

Vincent held his rifle to his side, switching a particular switch on the side. With a quick check to make sure his aim would be true, he pressed the trigger. The weapon didn't fire immediately, instead the machine started to whirl, the internal mechanisms drawing power from the Lightning materia he installed earlier. After about ten seconds, he whipped around the corner and released. A concentrated beam of raw magical energy erupted from the rifle, it's target the cockpit of the vehicle. The kickback was tremendous, but that didn't stop Vincent from seeing the damage. It sliced through the vehicle easier then Vincent thought it would, causing the front of the helicopter to burst into flames. Its pilot dead, the helicopter veered off course and away from the ship, to Vincent's relief. It exploded completely before it hit the water.

With a sigh of relief, he slung the rifle over his shoulder; one less threat to deal with. Before he could move, he heard something. Looking past the rear of the ship, his blood froze.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Lucrecia asked, growing desperate by the minute. With each step she became closer to Shinra, and everything Vincent gave up will have been a waste. No matter how she struggled she couldn't break his grip.

"It's my orders." Mason answered, remorseful but resolute. "We were ordered to retrieve you by order of President Shinra, or at least information regarding your whereabouts. It's nothing personal."

"That doesn't change what your doing."

He smirked slightly. "No, I don't suppose it does. But I have a mouth to feed, namely my own. Call it selfish, but I want to survive and working for Shinra ensures that I do. Surely you understand where I'm coming from?"

She didn't respond, which answered his question. She understood all too well. The only way to make a decent living for yourself in Midgar is to work directly for Shinra, or risk you life and livelihood in a Slum, where your likely to be raped or sold. And that's not mentioning the poor health conditions, gangs and monster attacks. She wouldn't be able to convince this man, so she would have to have faith in Vincent or Cyan.

Speaking of Cyan, "You seem to know Cyan. Why is that?" Lucrecia asked, curious.

"He trained me, a few years ago while he was in Midgar." Mason replied. "We never finished but I learned enough to become a Turk easily. I'm still no match for him though. Sachez is probably dead right now, which is why I'm getting out of here."

They made it to the first floor when they heard a loud explosion. Mason stopped for a second before resuming, moving more quickly then before. When the pair reached the room she and Cyan enjoyed some tea, they saw Vincent leaning on the doorway, favoring his right side, his suit, usually well kept and in good condition, was now disheveled and caked with dry blood. Lucrecia suppressed a gasp. He smiled at her before looking squarely at Mason. She felt the air electrify.

"The helicopter?" Mason questioned, his expression ranging from disbelief to amusement. Vincent confirmed whatever they were talking about with a nod. "And the other two?" He asked.

"Jarvas is KIA, Aliza is MIA, probably alive though."

"I see." To Lucrecia's surprise, Mason let go of her. Without waiting for her to asked, he explained. "You won't get through this unscratched, and orders are you aren't to be harmed. I can't hold you and fight at the same time."

She looked back at Vincent, unsure of what to do. Pointing a gun at an unflinching Mason, he tossed his bag at her feet. His rifle was sticking out. "Tell Cyan it's a 632."

She nodded, not trusting her voice right now. Picking up the bag, she ran, looking back at Vincent as she did so.

"That's was code, but not one I'm familiar with." Mason stated, his tone even. "And that's not your gun; that's Jarvas'. What what are you planning, Vincent Valentine?"

"You'll have to find out." he replied, firing a shot. Instinct seized Mason's body, his hand reaching his sword quicker then he thought possible. With one clean slice, he deflected the bullet. His sword still raised, he kicked a table towards Vincent, determined not to let him fire another shot. The former Turk dodged to his left to avoid it; however, the incoming table blocked a majority of Vincent's view, allowing Mason a preemptive strike. The other man sliced downward. Vincent barely managed to avoid to lethal blow, instead receiving a nasty cut on his cheek. Using his momentum, Vincent tried a roundhouse kick to Mason. The brunette managed to grab his leg with his free arm. Not deterred, Vincent used his remaining leg to kick the other in the stomach. Mason pushed him down, Vincent landing on his back with a wince. Mason stabbed downward, only meeting the floor as Vincent rolled out of the way. He jumped to his feet, but Mason was already upon him, delivering a sharp kick to his right side. The former Turk flew into the wall before hitting the floor. He tried to point his gun at his opponent, but Mason would have none of that; he sliced the barrel off before Vincent could fire a shot. With a resigned sigh, Vincent dropped the handle.

"I'm surprised." Mason started. "The damage must be extensive if I could best _you_ this easily." He lowered his blade to the other man's throat. Vincent didn't seem one bit surprised by the outcome, which unnerved the Turk to say the least. "You... you knew this would happen?" He questioned hesitantly, and he didn't miss the triumphant gleam in Vincent's eyes which confirmed his suspicions. He quickly knocked the former Turk out, reaching down and putting him over his shoulders. As quickly as he possibly could, he started to make his way to the exit when something caught his eye, a bag on a couch. With a quick peek inside, he grabbed it. This might be useful.

* * *

Lucrecia ran into Cyan on the second floor. He looked completely untouched from his encounter with that Turk Sachez. Apparently Mason knew what he was talking about. He looked surprised to see her. "Ms. Crescent? You managed to escape?" He asked, knowing full well Mason wouldn't let her go so easily, but not exactly expecting her to escape so easily either.

"No, Mason let me go. He couldn't watch me and fight Vincent at the same time. Vincent told me to tell you it's a "632." His eyes widened. He noticed the Vincent's bag in her hands as well before sighing sadly. "I see. It's time to go then." He uttered before reluctantly turning around. Lucrecia couldn't believe her ears. She ran after him, grabbing his arm and forcing him to stop.

"Wait, what? What do you mean? We have to help Vincent! That man will kill him if we don't help out! We have to go back!" She shouted, shocked that Cyan would think of anything else at a time like this.

"We can't, we wouldn't make it." He gently removed her hand. "A 632 is old Wutai military code. It means there are enemies on the way that may be too much for us to handle, so escape is necessary. We don't have time to retrieve Vincent and escape, so he cut himself loose."

She heard the words and understood them perfectly, but it still didn't make any sense. Leaving Vincent? No, that simply wasn't an option. She opened the bag and took Vincent's gun for herself, running back up the stairs. If Cyan wouldn't help, she would do it herself. It was crazy, she knew; she couldn't fight and she stood no chance against Mason, but any and all logic was worthless to her at that moment.

A pair of arms grabbed her from behind, pulling the gun away from her. "Cyan! Let me go! We have to get Vincent!" She kicked and screamed and thrashed, to no avail. Cyan held her fast and was pulling her further away from Vincent. "We can't go back! Shinra will be here any second, we can't waste any time." he tried, with little conviction. He was tempted to go back himself, but Vincent wouldn't cut himself loose so easily, and he would never forgive himself if he fail to rescue Vincent and jeopardized the entire plan.

"I don't care! I, I can't do this alone! I need him," she stopped thrashing, stopped moving. She just slumped in Cyan's arms, crying bitterly. "I need Vincent. Please let me go. Please..." she said nothing else as Cyan gently knocked her unconscious, picking her up with practiced ease. He turned to leave, picking up Vincent's bag and heading down the stairs. "Damn it." he muttered quietly, seething at Shinra for taking away a friend, for causing this woman such grief, and at himself for letting it happen.

* * *

"Aliza!" Mason screamed, hoping Vincent's hunch was correct. If he was wrong and Aliza was died, he wouldn't be able to out swim the explosion that could happen any second now. Leaning over the rail, he saw the speed boat that brought them here below. Aliza was at the controls wrapped in a towel, from what he could tell. With a gulp, he jumped. It wasn't that great of a fall, but the landing hurt like hell. Landing on the back of the vessel, his knees buckled and he dropped Vincent behind him.

"Where's Sachez and the girl?" Aliza questioned absently, but Mason's priorities were elsewhere.

"We have to go, now. That thing's about to explode."

Not waiting to be told twice, she gunned it, pressing the pedal as hard as possible. Mason looked back at the boat and counted the seconds. It wouldn't take long for Cyan to meet the target, after that they would have to secure a vessel and exit somehow. Remote detonation is too risky so it's likely on a timer, and Cyan would want enough time to get away from the explosion as well. They had enough time. The two helicopters on the way, however, were a different story. There were no communication devices available on this craft, a poor piece of planning in Mason's opinion.

One of the vessel landed on the massive deck, the other waiting patiently above. They were a good deal away to see any specifics, but it didn't matter. Some five minutes later, the boat exploded into a massive fireball, illuminating the night and destroying the two helicopters in the process.

* * *

They were a good deal away from the ship when Lucrecia had awakened. She felt the cold night air once again. Unbidden, a memory of resting her head on Vincent's shoulder had come to her, and she sat up immediately, looking around for anything, any sign that he was alive. She was on the back of the boat, surrounded by a few bags roughly the same size as Vincent's. Cyan was piloting the speed boat they were on. He looked back at her briefly, his eyes clouded and heavy. He looked so old.

Looking behind them, she saw it. Smoke rising from a wrecked ship surrounded by fire, as though the devil himself rose from it and blown it apart, inside and out. Even from here the light reached her. That was all that was left of the ship.

She wrapped her arms around herself to fight the cold, but it did little good. Looking at the wreckage, it felt as though all the warmth in the world had died with Vincent. Lucrecia didn't cry, scream, or break down. All she did was sit there, numb.

* * *

There's chapter 3. Let me know how it is, especially the fighting and original characters. Thanks for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

"Dr. Hojo, is the anything I can do for you?" the young guard asked, clearly intimidated by the figure next to him. He and another guard were currently on their way to a Shinra site, located on the beach. There the higher ups would assess the damage cause by Vincent Valentine's defection. The truck they were driving was borrowed from the people of Nibelhiem. His partner was the lucky one; he was too busy driving and didn't have to pay attention to a spook like Hojo. Just being in Hojo's presence made his skin crawl, but the silence was killing him. The scientist was busy reading a report of some kind, and his face scrunched up after the guard spoke. He looked at the guard briefly.

"You can be quiet for the remainder of the ride." The man snapped as he returned to his reading. "It's bad enough you idiots let that fool run off with my test subject. The last thing I want right now is your nagging disturbing me." The guard stammered his apologizes before staying silent, glaring at the driver who made no attempt to hide his snickering.

Hojo tried to read more, but to no avail. Instead he set the manila folder to the side and looked out the window. His concentration was shot at the mention of that boy, that fool that tampered with his experiment. The data he had collected thus far had been amazing, to say the least. He had learned so much about Jenova in this past few months, with so much more to learn and so many possibilities to explore, and yet that Turk had ruined everything. 'Possibly,' he corrected, 'he possibly ruined everything.' The scientist still held hope that Shinra would fix they're mistake and retrieve the subject.

Thoughts of the subject only brought confusion. He was very surprised that Crescent had actually went along with Valentine; he was under the assumption Dr. Crescent had wanted this as badly as he did. Apparently some didn't have the stomach for their line of work. As much as he despised Gast, Hojo couldn't help but respect the man just as much; he was the best at what they did. For now, anyway; it was Hojo's intent to surpass him in every way possible. Still, Gast didn't let some flimsy sense of morality interfere with his experiments.

The truck arrived at the beach site, and Hojo's heart dropped. He could see the fire and smoke from here, and feared the worst. Was the subject dead? He had ordered that she not be harmed in any way, but of course those Turks had managed to screw that up.

He leap out of the truck as soon as it stopped, making his way to the speed boat on the beach. He ignored the grunts swarming around the area like ants, and made his way to the uniformed pair, the Turks. One of them, a female, was being attended to by medics, the male, Mason as he recalled, was talking on a cellphone and ignoring him, much to Hojo's chagrin.

"I understand sir, I'll debrief you once we land in Midgar. When will the transport get here? I see." He hung up and turned the professor. "What can I do for you?" he questioned. "Where's the subject?" Hojo asked, as though it should be obvious. Mason shrugged. "She escaped." he stated plainly, with an air of apathy that angered Hojo fiercely.

"What!?" the doctor exploded. "How? Don't tell me your so incompetent you couldn't catch one pregnant woman!?" Mason's nostrils flared, clearly not taken with Hojo's tone, but the scientist didn't care. What could possibly have impeded them so greatly?

"I'm not at liberty to discuss the details with you at this time, but Vincent Valentine had assistance that we were unable to overcome. We did manage to capture Vincent and data Ms. Crescent stole from Shinra."

Although Hojo was livid at Lucrecia's escape, Vincent's capture peeked his interest. "Where is he?" the scientist asked, adjusting his glasses. The Turk pointed him out; he was lying down by the boat with his hands behind his back and legs together, all of his appendages were handcuffed. A helicopter started to touch down some ways beyond the truck. The Turk excused himself and ran over to it, leaving Hojo alone, not that he minded. The scientist walked over to the prisoner with a certain degree of satisfaction. This man had ruined everything, his dreams, his ambitions, his project, all of it. It was good to know he would pay for his foolish actions. Hojo was not sure what expression to expect from his former guardian, but he hoped it befitted his current predicament; fearful, regretful, and pitiful.

Hojo stopped just next to Vincent. The former Turk, who until then was staring off into space, looked at Hojo with vague interest. He looked at him for a few seconds before turning back to space. Hojo frowned, not expecting to be brushed off so easily, and a little disappointed. No matter; he would be there when Vincent received his punishment, and if Hojo knew anything, Shinra would have begging like a dog for death. As Hojo turned to leave, Vincent decided to speak up. "I almost feel sorry for you." The scientist looked back at him, confusion apparent on his face. The former Turk elaborated. "This is on your head. Your negligence has cost the company a great deal of money, and your precious specimen is gone." Hojo's mouth dropped slightly, causing Vincent's eyes lit up with triumph for a brief second before fading. "I guess it's to be expected. After all, your nothing compared to Gast."

_Your nothing compared to Gast_. Those words rang in his mind over and over. The final straw had been pulled; the combined frustration of losing the test subject, of having his ambitions shatter, of being compared to _him, _was too much. "You bastard!" Hojo screamed, his face red with anger. Pulling his pistol from it's holster, Hojo ignored the shocked gasps around him and fired a shot, directly in Vincent's chest. It felt incredibly satisfying, Hojo decided, so he fired another, and another, and another, until a hand grabbed his wrist and twisted, forcing him to drop the weapon as Hojo winced in pain. The owner of that hand was Mason, who looked furious, to say the least.

"Get him some medical attention! NOW!" he yelled. Everyone grunt in the area flinched at his command, forcing everyone around to get to work. A stretcher was brought forth with remarkable speed. Two grunts picked up the body and carried it off, and Hojo could have sworn he saw Vincent, who was surely dying, smirk at Hojo as he coughed up blood.

The Turk let go of his wrist. "What was that?" He asked, his voice careful, his anger barely contained. "Why the hell did you do that?"

And for the first time in a long time, Hojo was at a lost as to what to say. He remained silent for a time, too long for Mason. The Turk grabbed him by the collar and lifted him in the air with ease, bringing him face to face. "I asked you a question."

"Let me go! That's an order!" Hojo gasped as he struggled, unable to overcome the physically superior Mason.

"That's not how it works,_ professor_." he remarked derisively. He let go anyway, forcing Hojo on his behind. "You probably killed our one link to Ms. Crescent's location. You just jeopardized our operation, and I have the right to kill you where you stand." Hojo climbed to his feet and dusted himself off, looking at the Turk squarely. Too his credit, Hojo didn't flinch at such a threat. That fact made Mason want to do the deed even more, but Verdot would probably punish him for doing do. Mason was within his rights to kill Hojo after what he just did, but Hojo is in deep, and Verdot wants to see the bastard squirm. "Let me guess," Mason began, cocking his head slightly. "He goaded you into attacking him, right? Dead prisoners don't say nearly as much as living ones, after all."

Hojo sneered, and before he could answer, another did so for him. "That's exactly the case." Hojo turned around to see Professor Gast standing behind him, his face looking grim. Hojo's sneer grew even darker. "I heard the entire thing, and it just so happens that he was correct. This entire incident came about because you didn't pay attention to Mr. Valentine attitude towards the Jenova Project."

Once again, Hojo's face went red. "That's ridiculous!" he began, gesturing wildly. "I had no way of knowing this would happen! How could you expect,"

Gast cut him off, shaking his head as he did so. "You knew Vincent was oppose to using live subjects for the experiment, and _everyone in Nibelhiem_ figured out how he felt about Lucrecia. The two spent a great deal of time together months prior to the experiment after all. You had full authority to replace Vincent with another Turk for protection, given his connection to Lucrecia, but you didn't care what he did so long as he didn't interfere with _your_ project."

Teeth clinched, Hojo didn't deny the accusations against him. How could he? It all made sense after all, and Hojo wasn't one to deny logic, even if it didn't favor him. "We don't expect you to be omniscient, but we do expect you to be observant; of your experiments _and _of the people you work with." He gestured to Mason, and the Turk grabbed Hojo by the arm, practically dragging him. "You'll have to report directly to Shinra. I'm assuming command over the project. With any luck we can still salvage this disaster." Hojo hung his head at this, resigning himself to whatever was in store.

"So much potential." Gast whispered as he watched Hojo and Mason depart. Hojo was a brilliant man, but his own bitterness towards others and his obsession with science would be the end of him, if Shinra wasn't. With a heavy sigh, he gathered the attention of a passing guard. "I'll need a laptop." the guard nodded and saluted. "Yes sir. Will that be all?" Gast thought for a second before responding. "And keep me updated on Mr. Valentine's condition. Call the Shinra Mansion to get a hold of me."

Gast received a laptop in a few minutes. He thanked the guard and made his way to the truck parked a ways from the site. As he entered the back, he told the guard to drive to Nibelhiem, which he complied. As the truck pulled away Gast examined the content of a bag Mason retrieved from his failed mission, which he had been ordered to hand over once Gast returned from Icicle Inn. It was a curious thing, that he would waste time grabbing a bag when the ship he's on was about to explode. Of course that would suggest that this must have some significance.

The professor pulled out a series of flash drives bound together by a ring, titled "The Omega Report". 'Interesting.'

* * *

The pair had landed about an hour later after Cyan destroyed the ship. They had landed on a small island with a small station set up by Wutai. Said station was little more then a wooden hut though, and the only two guards stationed there didn't see them coming at all, let alone prepare for their arrival. Lucrecia was surprised to see someone more incompetent then Shinra grunts when it came to menial work. Once Cyan arrived, he explained the barest of details to them; that Lucrecia was a VIP and Shinra was after them both. One of the men sent a letter with a messenger bird. Cyan went off after that, to chat with the two men about something. He asked her to wait in the station for a bit, as they would leave upon his return. The woman sat down by a table and set Vincent's bag on the floor.

Lucrecia looked out the window, watching the sun was slowly rise, destroying any traces of night. Vincent was dead.

She shook her head fiercely, trying to alter the course of her thoughts. She couldn't think about that now. Not ever, if she could help it. Lucrecia wondered what Wutai would be like. Based on the structure she was in, it seemed they didn't possess the level of technology Shinra had at it's disposal. Perhaps it's because of an inferior amount of resources, perhaps it's because Vincent's dead.

She grabbed Vincent's bag and set it on the table. She didn't want to have anything of Vincent's at her disposal, but she had forgotten her bag on the ship and Vincent was dead. No, she meant to think that she had nothing else to do. That was it.

She opened it quickly, hoping to find anything to take her mind off of, certain things. There was nothing inside to interest Lucrecia. Just several Materia and Vincent's, no, a pair of guns. She took his pistol in her hands and observed to. He was fond of this one, of Cerberus. He had it custom ordered for himself when he became a Turk. It cost him his entire paycheck, but he didn't regret it in the slightest, that's what he told her. He had showed her how to work it once, so many months ago. They were at their place, under the tree on the hill. His arms were wrapped around her too affectionately for friends to do, as he guided her hands with his own, explaining to her the intricate workings of his favored weapon. She recalled that at the time she wanted to so badly to kiss him, but she was so afraid to do so. When that Lockhart boy had stumbled on them, she was almost glad for the distraction, but mostly disappointed for the missed opportunity.

That moment was gone forever now, and nothing like it would ever come again. Because Vincent's...

Slowly, absently, she found the safety on the side. With a slight press, she turned it off. Just one shot, she thought as she held it loosely in her hand. Just one shot and it would all go away.

* * *

'Fascinating.' Gast thought as he went over the Omega Report. He had know Lucrecia was a brilliant woman, especially given her position and youth, but this was definitive proof. Granted, although there was quite a bit of guess work, there was also some proof to support the theory. Of course, the problem Lucrecia had no doubt faced was that to prove her theory correct, an untold amount of people would have to die. The 'Omega Weapon' is a doomsday scenario, and scientific theories are pointless in the face of Armageddon.

There was a particular facet of the theory that was much more plausible, though. Omega's Herald, Chaos. Gimoire Valentine had discovered smaller concentrations of Mako energy within the Lifestream, during the construction and analysis of Mako reactors, that were too small to be "Weapons" but too large to be Materia, which seems to possess some sentience. While Lucrecia was his apprentice he had researched into the matter extensively before he died. Lucrecia expanded on the idea it seems. Chaos seems to be a semi-sentient pseudo-Weapon, with similarities to both Weapons and Materia. According to Lucrecia, it was possible to bind Chaos into a human host, similar to how one equips Materia. There are risks though. Chaos is extremely powerful, and probably wouldn't care for being bound to anything. The entity would no doubt resist the procedure, which increased it's difficulty. If the body if was bound to wasn't strong enough to hold Chaos' power, it would no doubt break free. And if the person was too weak spiritually, without an inhibitor like the Protomateria Lucrecia discovered at some point, Chaos would devour the host's soul and take control of the body.

Gast arrived in Nibelhiem shortly. Once the truck arrived at the mansion and he stepped out, a guard came up to him. "What's the problem?" the professor asked, putting away the data and laptop. The guard seemed most appreciative that he wasn't being snapped at, Gast noted, which didn't say much for Hojo's respect for these men.

"Sir, Mr. Valentine has just passed away." Gast's head hung at that. Vincent was a good man, one of the few he knew. To hear of his passing was, wait. "How long ago?" he asked sharply.

"Roughly ten minutes sir." the guard replied, confused. What did it matter how long ago it was?

To Gast it mattered a great deal. He stood there for a time, the gears of his mind turning, thinking, pondering. Ten minutes dead, he had time. And if Gast wasn't mistaken, and he probably wasn't, the equipment should all be there. It wouldn't cost much, so Shinra won't make to much of a deal. They had the restraints as well. Still, would Vincent appreciate this? Probably not, but Gast had a feeling he wanted to be dead even less.

"Have the body brought to the labs as quickly as possible. Have it strapped into the restraints and make sure two technicians are brought down as well. No, make that three."

The guard grew more confused, and his face grew pale. "What do you have planned sir?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

Gast thought for a second, looking at the guard's face before answering. He decided to spare him a few nightmares, as even he was more then a little... unsettled by what he had planned. "That's classified." The guard was apparently satisfied with that answer, and ran off to accomplish his task. Just as well, Gast supposed. Classified in Shinra meant secrets one died, or were killed over.

* * *

Slowly, she pointed the gun at herself. Her breathing quickened, her limbs shook, her mind went blank. Lifelessly, she squeezed the trigger...

At the last second, she pointed it upward and away from her head, screaming for... no reason whatsoever. She pressed the trigger again, pointing the barrel to the ground. Nothing but a click filled her ears. She pressed the trigger several more times, with the same results each time. Empty. The gun was empty. Eyes wide open in shock, she seized the bag and searched inside. All that was inside was his rifle and materia. She looked on the side of bag, finding two large pouches. Opening the one that seemed full, she saw several cartridges of ammunition, and a folded napkin on top. She removed the napkin and opened it slowly. It was a note, no doubt scribbled in haste but legible nonetheless, that read "Live on for my sake."

She stared at the note for one minute. Gradually, tears fell from her face yet again. She did nothing to wipe them, her attention focused on the note. He knew. He knew what she might do, he knew what would happen, he knew all of it. He's dead. Vincent is...

"Vincent is dead." her voice trembled, and no sooner then that, she broke down. The declaration removed any doubt in her mind, and shattered the false composure she had clung to until now. She placed her arms on the table and buried her face in them, thinking of no better way to silence her sobbing. Her despair washed over her like a torrent, too strong for her too resist. At that point, she was too tired to do so anyway.

Vincent was dead.

* * *

"What's the rate of the procedures?!" Gast roared as his fingers moved rapidly about the keyboard. The technicians to his left and right monitored the screens before them. The left, Michael, looked at Gast, his face pale white with shock. A look from Gast shook him out of it. "_Carbide ceramic ossification rate _is at 70%, _Muscular enhancement injections rate _is at 69%, _Occipital capillary reversal rate _is at 70%! The grafting of the monster DNA is a success! There are no negative side effects to the subject's body!"

Vincent was strapped to a table with a glass dome around him, with several tubes attached to his limbs. He was currently shirtless, not that that mattered to the men present.

"Steven!" Gast yelled, looking at his right. "How is the Mako Stabilization?"

The other technician, his expression more composed but still shocked, answered immediately. "Mako Stabilization at 70% sir. How is this possible sir?"

Gast didn't answer. Inside he was smiling, glad that he was correct in his hunch. The procedures Micheal was monitoring was a brain child of Hojo's, an experiment to create super soldiers. In addition to chemical injections, Hojo collected genes from several monsters, that should allow the subject to transform. Unfortunately, the rate of failure was far too high, and the side effects would permanently damage or disfigure the subject's body, if not kill them. Gast once recalled Hojo musing about mass-kidnapping children and trying it on them, in order to get a better estimate on the odds, and at the time he thought Hojo was kidding. Gast tried to help Hojo work out the problems, but Hojo was all to eager to label it a failure and shelf it, although he suspected that Hojo simply didn't want any help from his "rival". Gast, however, had added a little something to the notes; Mako Stabilization. Mako energy is highly adaptive, and direct exposure to refined Mako can improve your physical abilities when used in moderation, if only slightly. The problem was that one would have to use a very small amount of Mako, or risk over exposure and Mako Poisoning.

In short, the Mako energy is helping the body adjust to Hojo's experiments.

Once the procedures were over, the hard part would come. Vincent's body was strong enough to contain Chaos, but exposing any body, living or dead, to the amount of Mako energy he was about to use, was incredibly dangerous. In the best case scenario, Chaos will resuscitate Vincent. But in case of the worst, Vincent's body, now extraordinarily powerful, will mutate into something unspeakable and kill them all.

Vincent's body was removed from the table and placed inside a water filled tube, which was then sealed shut. Gast asked the two men to leave. They were reluctant of course. As men of science that just witnessed a miracle, they were inclined to stay. Gast wouldn't allow it; in case something went awry it would be best if they were as far away from here as possible. Once the men left the room Gast sealed the door. He couldn't risk letting loose... whatever Vincent will become.

The scientist walked over to the console in front of Vincent and rubbed his eyes. Sometimes, he felt like a mad scientist from old television shows and novels, and Vincent's the hapless corpse he's about to mutilate for the sake of science, or whatever demented ambitions they had. Staring at Vincent, Gast felt so very old. Ten or twenty years ago, this kind of technology was pure fantasy. Who had ever heard of Mako energy? Anyone who presented such theories back then would have been laughed at, mocked by his peers, and ostracized by the entire scientific community. Shinra changed all that, and what was their prerogative? Money.

'Enough of this.' the professor mused silently. He was brooding again, and wasting time.

With a sigh, he pressed a key on the console, which triggered the sequence. The clear, water filled tube began to tint green as Pure Mako began to filter in. Soon, the tube was almost completely green and glowed ominously. Exposing any organism to pure liquid Mako was dangerous business. Shinra, and by extension Gast, still didn't fully understand Mako and what it was capable of. In almost every case of a 'Mako dip' Gast had heard of, the victim suffered from Mako Poisoning, a type of coma that left the victim a babbling invalid. There were some rare cases where the victim turned into a monster, and even rarer cases were nothing happened at all.

The canister of Pure Mako he was using was one belonging to Lucrecia Crescent, one of the few things left over from her time as Grimoire Valentine's assistant. This batch, according to Lucrecia, contained the Chaos Gene, a piece of Chaos left behind when Grimoire and Lucrecia summoned it, which will hopefully attract the real thing.

The scientist sat in a chair next to a table, some ways away from Vincent. Hope. The concept seemed so useless sometimes, when you really needed it. Still, that was all he could do at the point. 'Well, that and this.' the doctor thought, as he reached for his tape recorder, inside of Lucrecia's bag with "The Omega Report", his laptop, and the Protomateria. Gast cleared his thought and pressed the 'record' button. "This is Dr. Gast Faremis..."

* * *

Lucrecia had cried for little over an hour. By then she was sure her tears had run out. She sat up and tried wiping her eyes, hoping to make herself presentable. She didn't want to worry Cyan, who had so much work ahead of him; escorting a pregnant woman to Wutai was bound to be a hassle on anyone. She would have to thank him again when he returned.

"Wait." she whispered to herself. Cyan hadn't been back in an hour. She slowly rose to her feet, taking a few of Vincent's materia with her; she wasn't very skilled with them, but Lucrecia did have some experience with Materia, enough to defend herself better. She walked to the door, as though on egg shells. It was a useless gesture she found, as her steps caused the wood to creak horribly. Abandoning stealth, she walked out normally. She saw Cyan on their boat, drinking tea and laughing with the young men who were stationed on this island, and breathed a sigh of relief. Why would Cyan worry her like that?

The elder man looked up and smiled at her warmly, and then she understood. He was giving her space, allowing her to grieve. Lucrecia knew herself well enough to know she would never do so with anyone present,except _maybe _Vincent, so she was grateful to the man. She waved at him and smiled back. She wasn't 100 percent. Even now she felt like crying again, but with Cyan's help, she might get there.

* * *

Three hours passed and Gast was starting to lose hope. He was eager to see this work, but it seemed like this was just a waste of time. Lucrecia had guessed that two hours would be enough, but she didn't have much to go off of, and she couldn't possibly predicted that the subject in question would be dead. As he reached for the tape recorder to record his "progress", he noticed something. Vincent's finger twitched slightly, and Gast looked at heart rate monitor. A slow, steady pulse was forming. Exhilaration filled Gast then, and he was reminded of why he chose to pursue science in the first place. Vincent's eyes opened, frightened and confused. Soon after, he clutched his body in pain. No doubt his body was reacting to Chaos being trapped in his body. A sense of dread overcame Gast. All at once, a surge of malevolent intent washed over the entire room. Stepping back slightly, the scientist saw Vincent's body... change. His hands turn into claws, his skin turned gray, and his hair spiked up. His eyes, once an unusual shade of red, turned gold.

Gast backed away in fright as Chaos grew large bat-like wings. He began thrashing about in the glass tube, like a wild beast. Fear grasped him as he noticed the glass starting to break, and the scientist looked for anything to defend himself. Somewhere in him, Gast realized what a ridiculous idea that was, but fear made one do crazy things. Inspiration hit him as his eyes fell in Lucrecia's bag. 'The Protomateria.' he thought as he raced to the bag and pulled it out. The gem was now glowing brightly, and once he had revealed it, Chaos grew very complacent. Almost calm.

Gast walked towards Chaos in a trance, the Protomateria pointed forward and glowing more brightly by the second. Once he was at the console, the materia left his hand, shooting straight for Chaos' chest. Without breaking the glass, the materia embedded itself in Chaos' chest. The creature shut his eyes, as though it were going to sleep, and a red light surrounded it. The light dissipated, and Vincent had taken Chaos' place. Gast looked back at the heart rate monitor; Vincent had a steady pulse, he was asleep, and more importantly, alive.

Gast sighed deeply, his shoulders were sagging and his knees were on the verge of buckling. He was exhausted, the stress of flying all the way to Nibelhiem, reviving the dead, and coming face to face with death was tiring business for anyone. Nevertheless he walked back to his chair and flopped down in it. All of a sudden, he thought of Ifalna, and her seemingly boundless energy, and wanted to get to Icicle Inn even faster now.

But first, there was work to do. Picking up his tape recorder yet again, he began. "This is Dr. Gast Faremis. I have successfully revived Vincent Valentine."

* * *

That's chapter 4. Thanks for the reviews, author alerts and such, they made great motivation. Well, that and a Spring Break with nothing to do. The procedures Gast puts Vincent through are borrowed from the first Halo novel, Fall of Reach (except for the monster DNA stuff). Square wasn't very specific about what Hojo did to Vincent so I had to use something, and I hope it makes sense. Verdot is a character from Before Crisis - Final Fantasy 7, he is the leader of the Turks at the time. Final Fantasy Wiki has more info if your interested.


	5. Chapter 5

Hojo walked down the halls like a man on death row. In a way, he was. The man was sweating unceasingly, occasionally wiping the sweat on his sleeve. His uniform was disheveled and wrinkled, a side effect of being handled by a less than patient Turk. Hojo tried to deny it, but he felt fear. A powerful fear regarding his situation grabbed a hold of him and refused let go. Hojo couldn't help but admit his own incompetence regarding his conduct in Nibelhiem. As excited as he was to be working on such a ground breaking project, he turned a blind eye to Vincent Valentine, allowing him to do whatever he wished. He didn't enforced his authority over Lucrecia either. Hojo would have never thought that either of them would openly defy Shinra in such a manner, but he was obviously mistaken, and such poor judgment from anyone was fatal in Shinra. The doctor clutched the manila folder in his right hand tightly. It was his only hope at this point. The data on Jenova he had collected from Lucrecia was the first viable step in President Shinra's dream of an army of super soldiers. If he can impress Shinra's review board with his findings, that should stay their hand, possibly allowing him to continue working.

The Turk Mason followed behind him, his arms behind his back and his face an emotionless mask. When they reached the 66th floor, a pair of guards opened the door and gestured for the doctor to enter. It was Shinra's main conference room, where many decisions, with world shaping impacts, were made. The second the pair entered the room, the doctor felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. Hojo had been here a number of times before, but never in this kind of situation. It felt as though the entire room was devouring him, slowly and painfully. The room was mostly dark, with only several lights falling upon his audience, and a light above a single chair, placed directly between the table and the door. The doctor took his seat, scanning his audience as quickly as possible before they start the proceedings.

Hojo looked from his left to his right, noting the familiar faces among him. The leader of the Turks, Verdot, was among them, seated closet to door on the left. The man barely prevented a smirk from gracing his grizzled mug, much to Hojo's disgust. Heidegger was seated next to him, not particularly caring about what was happening based on the bored expression on his face. President Shinra himself occupied the seat opposite from Hojo, his expression unreadable. To the right of Shinra sat the Head of Weapons Development, Carnelia. She looked a great deal like that young woman being attended to on the beach site, which Hojo supposed was no coincidence.

The doctor looked next to her, and almost balked when he saw the pudgy form of Dr. Hollander. Hojo was under the impression that Hollander was in Banora Village, working on his own variation of the Jenova project. When Hojo saw the man grin, he understood immediately; the man was here to gloat. Hojo felt a hatred matched only by his animosity towards Vincent and Gast. Hollander gestured at Mason, confusing the scientist before the Turk snatched Hojo's manila folder out of the the man's hands before he could blink. The Turk presented the folder to Holander, who accepted it like a child would candy.

"Dr Hojo." a voice he recognized as President Shinra began, gaining the doctor's attention. He was furthest away from Hojo. Still, Hojo heard him fine, because of a speaker and microphone. "Explain the circumstances regarding Vincent Valentine's defection." he sounded incredibly bored by these proceedings, which unnerved Hojo slightly. In his haste to end this Shinra may just proclaim "off with his head!" and be done with it. Nonetheless Hojo cleared his throat before beginning.

Hojo had gone over the situation in his head as much as possible on the ride here, so hopefully he was prepared. "It began a week after Lucrecia Crescent became pregnant. Vincent Valentine approached Ms. Crescent and I in my study. He was against our use of live subjects and tried to "reason" with us, as he put it." Hojo nearly spat on the floor, that day clearly a sore spot for him.

"And it didn't occur to you that Vincent may be a potential risk to your project?"

"It did, for a moment. But Valentine seemed rather spineless when it came to that woman. He would go along with any decision she made. He dropped the matter entirely once Lucrecia made her intent clear." Hojo was starting to grow a little confident now. With any luck, some of the blame will be displaced on Crescent. "Furthermore, I had hoped that Valentine's personal attachment to Crescent would serve as... motivation, should we encounter any Anti Shinra movements in the area. As I recall Valentine had intercepted a number of insurgences in these past few months, who were planning a raid on the Shinra Mansion. According to the data,"

"That's enough Hojo." Shinra spoke, clearly bored with Hojo's line of thought. "Mason. Tell us about your mission."

The Turk immediately ousted Hojo out of the chair and took a seat. The dark haired man narrowed his eyes before moving some ways away from the chair, leaning against the wall.

"The mission began once we received orders to move out at 1400 hours yesterday. Four Turks were mobilized, including myself. We took a helicopter to the beach site near Nibelhiem where we landed four hours later. A speed boat was prepared for us. After the vehicle was refueled the helicopter was used by Shinra guards to distract Vincent Valentine while we made our way quietly aboard the vessel that was commandeered."

"Commandeered by whom?" a voice that Mason recognized as Verdot, leader of the Turks, asked.

"Cyan Garamonde."

"Who is that?" the president of Shinra questioned. Verdot gestured for the Turk to continue. "Cyan Garamonde is a warrior from the country Wutai. He is, in my professional opinion, one of the strongest men on the planet. Cyan is a traveler of sorts, who moves from place to place to spread his art. He shares a similar philosophy to Master Zangan, who I'm sure your familiar with." The assembled group nodded, more than familiar with the legendary martial artist, who had summarily defeated anyone of note in the entire Shinra organization. It was Zangan's level of power that inspired Shinra to fund research into the Ancients and genetic research, for the purposes of creating super-soldiers.

Mason finished his briefing on Cyan, awaiting for anyone to ask any further questions. When they did not, he continued. "While Vincent was distracted, Sachez Alrei and I pursued Ms. Crescent. Jarvas Randell and Aliza Hathorne tried to subdue or kill Vincent."

"Why didn't you all attack him at once?" Shinra questioned. "Clearly he bested two of you, but all four at once? I doubt he would be capable of that." Mason nodded respectfully at the question. He had anticipated it, and was prepared for his answer. "We knew Vincent had some kind of Materia with him, based on what the Shinra guards stationed in Nibelhiem told us. What we didn't know was what kind he had on him. The four of us assigned to this mission aren't familiar with magic," Mason smirked slightly as Holander and Hojo cleared their throats, clearly upset at the use of the 'magic' word. "and he could have easily killed all of us, given his proficiency with Materia. We were accurate in our assumption; Vincent defeated Jarvas and Aliza, killed the entire group of guards after him, that's ten men with automatic rifles, and destroyed the helicopter. He didn't escape unscratched, but the fact that he overcame such odds alone says a great deal."

Shinra let out a breathless sigh, clearly shaken at Vincent's accomplishment. "How could this have happened?" he questioned absently. Mason thought the question was rhetorical, but answered anyway, just in case. "Vincent was one of the best we had. He also knew the Turks inside and out. I have no doubt that he anticipated our arrival and was prepared to intercept."

Shinra shook his head, then gestured for Mason to continue. "Sachez and I pursued Ms. Crescent. She was the mission priority and Vincent would never harm her, based on what the guards and Dr. Hojo said. We found her on the fourth floor. She was using the intercom to contact Cyan. Once I knew who it was I thought it best for us to go. That didn't really matter, though. Cyan cut through the floors to get to where we were." Several mouths dropped, and before any of them could ask, Mason decided to clarify. "Yes, he _literally_ cut his way _through _the floors, through solid steel, to our location. I wasn't kidding about what I said about him. I knew the two of us stood little chance against him, and since Aliza and Jarvas hadn't reported in by then, I assumed they were dead. So I took Ms. Crescent and left Sachez to stale Cyan." Heidegger actually laughed out loud at Mason's comment, startling the assembled party. "You ran away?!" Carnelia questioned, disdain etched on her face. "You didn't even try to stop him? How pathetic are you?"

Verdot was about to respond, but Mason decided it best to give his own interpretation. "As I explained _earlier_," Mason began, in a condescending manner that Carnelia didn't appreciate, "even the two of us together stood no chance against Cyan. The mission was all that mattered in any case, and I had no intention on wasting my life in a battle I could not win. It would be more prudent to escape with the target, or information as to how or why she got away."

Before Carnelia could counter, Shinra had had enough. "I understand Mason." He drawled, intent on ending the discussion. After all, Shinra's opinion was all that really mattered in this group. "Please continue."

"Vincent was waiting for us on the first floor, and I knew Shacez wouldn't last long. A prolonged fight with Vincent would allow Cyan to catch up, and my chance for survival would only sink from there. I let Ms. Crescent go, because the ensuing battle would no doubt injure her, and I couldn't fight Vincent and keep her restrained. Something struck me as odd though. Vincent muttered some form of code for Lucrecia to pass along to Cyan. I figured he had cut himself loose, and I was right. I grabbed Vincent and a bag Ms. Crescent had taken with her, filled with Shinra data, and left as quickly as possible. The ship exploded maybe ten minutes after we left, engulfing two helicopters that were landing on the ship."

Shinra nodded as he drummed his fingers on the table, disapproval apparent on his face. "Tell me, Mason. Why didn't you kill Ms. Crescent? Once it was made clear that you couldn't bring her in, that is?"

Mason's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I was told by Hojo that Lucrecia was not to be harmed under _any_ circumstances sir. Were those not your orders?"

Shinra's eyes drifted to Hojo, and the scientist felt the world grow very cold. "No, they were not. Two additional helicopters were not deployed on my command either. _My_ orders were that Lucrecia was be killed if she couldn't be retrieved. No additional resources were to be spared after the initial insertion either." Shinra gestured towards the chair. "Have a seat Doctor."

Mason left the chair without preamble, shaking his head at Hojo as Hojo took his seat. "Dr. Hojo. Is this true? Did you personally corrupt my direct orders for your own agenda?" The scientist straightened his back and cleared his throat. "Mr. President, the data I have retrieved from the Jenova Project will greatly benefit the company as a whole, and I..."

"I don't give a damn about what you think!" Shinra snapped, slamming his fist on the table as he interupted the man. His patience was worn thin by a very long night, and outright destroyed by Hojo's attempts to "work" him. Who the hell did he think he was dealing with? "You lost Crescent and wasted millions in research! You purposely changed my direct orders for your own benefit, and got two helicopters destroyed because you didn't think to give our operatives a god damn phone! To make matters worse, Wutai now has a weapon waiting to be born." The president calmed himself with visible effort. "There is a word that describes your actions perfectly, and that word is treasonous. You are aware of the punishment for treason, aren't you doctor?" Shinra didn't wait for Hojo to answer before continuing. "Give me a _very_ good reason why I shouldn't have Mason kill you right now."

"If I may, sir." Hollander spoke for the first time, drawing the attention of everyone assembled. The man set down a manila folder on top of another, turning his attention to Shinra. "I too agree that Hojo's _failure_ is definitely warrant for serious disciplinary action, but he is a _bright_ man." Hojo was definitely sick to his stomach now, hearing that man's voice, his condescending tone was making him physically ill. The effect of Hollander's words were not lost on the man, as he grinned.

"What are you suggesting?" Shinra asked, genuinely curious at what Hollander had in mind. It was no secret that Hojo and Hollander were bitter rivals for Gast's job, when the man would retire. Both had their own variations of the Jenova Project that they were working with. Gast had suggested that Hojo was the better scientist, so Hojo received more funding, support, and a larger portion of Jenova, something Hollander still didn't appreciate. Shinra would think that Hollander would want to see Hojo crucified, given the bad blood between them.

"Bring him on board to my own project, Project G. I'm sure he would make a _decent_ assistant, as long as he is kept on a tight leash. I run a tight ship, so I can assure you a similar incident won't occur under my supervision. That would be a good way to pay off his debt, which, lets face it, will take a while. It would certainly be better then wasting a bullet on him, or Mr. Mason's valuable time." By then the entire room, sans Hojo, were laughing in their own way. The ever composed Turks, Mason and Verdot, chuckled as silently as possible. Heidegger was laughing out loud once again, and Carnelia and Shinra wore very dark smirks. Hojo saw red. Had Mason not confiscated his weapon hours ago, Hojo would have killed Hollander on the spot, to hell with the consequences.

"Very well." Shinra decided. "Dr. Hollander, Hojo will be transfer to you as an assistant. He's your responsibility now, so that leash better be tight, or else." Shinra saw that man nod, clearly understanding the implications the President had made. "All funding from Jenova Project : Project S will be transferred to Project G as of now, and Project S is considered dissolved."

"What about Lucrecia?" Verdot questioned, unsure of whether or not he should order a pursuit team. The president sighed reluctantly, sparing an angry glance at Hojo. "Its a waste of time going after her at this point. We aren't prepared to go after her and we can't get past this Cyan character. Besides, odds are they're too deep in Wutai territory for us to pursue without risking a war we aren't ready for. All the more reason we need a success Hollander."

The president rose from his seat, signaling the end of the meeting. "Verdot," the man began as he walked towards the exit. "Have a bottle of scotch and some company brought to my office. I need to relax a bit." Verdot responded quickly as he stood as well. As he passed Mason he told the Turk to keep an eye on Hojo for a bit before stopping by his office for a written report. One by one the occupants of the rooms filed out, until Hojo and Mason were the only ones left. Hojo sighed deeply and laid back in his chair, and honestly couldn't decide whether or not he rather Mason killed him right now.

* * *

"Well, Vincent had come to the capital about a month before I return. I was meeting with a client who wanted to get away from Shinra as well, but from what I had heard he had caused quite a stir."

"What do you mean?" Lucrecia questioned, listening intently as Cyan explained. After the pair had left the small Wutai station, Lucrecia had grown bored with staring at the ocean after about a minute. Luckily, Cyan had grown bored as well, so he decided to regale Lucrecia with tales of life in Wutai. The woman didn't mind though; Cyan knew how to tell a story and she had nothing better to do, so she grabbed a canteen and sat on a chair close to Cyan as he steered the ship.

"You have to understand that easterners such as yourself are a rarity. The only ones we see are pirates, who are dealt with swiftly, and people who are lost at sea. You know, shipwreck survivors and lost travelers. So Vincent's arrival was rather shocking to most, and worst yet, threatening. He carried a few guns on him when he arrived, so several council leaders thought he was looking for a fight, if not declaring war on Shinra's behalf. He was arrested and interrogated for several weeks, didn't fight back at all. All he told them was that he was on vacation. After a few weeks, however, nothing happened. He was released but his guns were confiscated until he left Wutai."

"Why would he be so complacent?" Lucrecia asked, shocked that Vincent would call such a hostile trip a "vacation" in the first place. Perhaps he simply didn't responded to danger the way most do, given his line of work. Lucrecia was also growing ill at ease with the prospect of staying in Wutai as the story went on. Vincent has said it wasn't bad, but she grew more sceptical as the story went on.

"He didn't want to cause trouble. Everyone needs to relax, and I doubt the situation phased him much, truth be told. He's probably seen worse."

Lucrecia lowered her head at that. No doubt it was true. Very few things seemed to phase Vincent back at the Shinra mansion. Before she got to know him it seemed like he was going through the motions, not fully commited to the situation at hand. The only time he ever showed any emotion was when they were together. In the beginning, he always seemed so flustered around Lucrecia, trying to say something but never finding the words. Lucrecia enjoyed that power she had over him. Even when he became acustomed to her presence there was always this longing gaze about him that she didn't understand, still so excited about the Jenova Project and a little withdrawn herself. If only she had realized her folly back then, maybe things would be different...

Lucrecia realized that Cyan was still talking and made an effort to grasp what he was saying.

"...So I challenged him to a little bout. I had heard from Zangan that Turks were tough customers in thier own right, so I wanted to test his mettle. He was impressive, abiet too reliant on his guns. His hand to hand needed some work, but against the unskilled he managed no doubt. Ten minutes into our little bout, however, Vincent misstepped and landed in a river."

"He fell into a river?!" Lucrecia laughed in disbelief. Vincent? Fall into a river? The former Turk always had such a graceful, well composed presence about him. Lucrecia would never imagine Vincent making such an obvious error. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know it's not funny but.."

"No, I understand." The man reassured her, grinning ear to ear.

The woman covered her mouth as she settled down, then winced slightly, pain shooting through her stomach. 'That's strange.' she thought as she clutched her swollen stomach. She hadn't been laughing that hard. Pain shot through her stomach again, this time much more prononce. She bit her lip to keep from screaming out, but it did little good as the pain spread, affecting her entire body. It felt as though her blood had been replaced with needles. Lucrecia screamed out as she realized what was happening. 'Not now.' She thought frantically, sparing a glance at Cyan, who had abandoned streering the boat and turned his attention to Lucrecia, his face pale white and throughly confused.

'Not now.' She thought as the world grew darker.

* * *

Hojo sat in the mostly empty conference room in silence. His reputation was ruined, and unlikely to ever rise again. No one would trust him with any kind of power. Worst yet, he would never surpass Gast.

'No,' Hojo thought as he sat up. He still had a chance. Though he loath to admit it, Hollander was his only chance. He could still work on some facit of the Jenova Project, even though he wasn't the head. He could still observe the data. And when the time came, he would strike. He didn't know what it would be or what he would do, but Hojo refused to go on like this. A dark grin spread across the man's face, unseen by anyone. The scientist rose to his feet and turned towards the door, walking briskly and without hesitation. This was a setback, a very heavy setback. But he would rise from this. He had to.

Mason was right behind him, but Hojo tried to pay him no mind. This one would be a danger, if he continued to follow like this. He was smart, observant, and ruthless. But he was also human, prone to mistakes like any other. He would slip up at some point. And when he did, he would realize his mistake, like they all would for not killing him when they had the chance.

* * *

Gast reached for the blaring alarm with a grimace. Though he was tempted to toss the object out the window, he had only himself to blame for setting it. Seeing no point in taking his anger out on a machine, so instead he turned off the alarm and sat up. He reached for the nightstand and grabbed his glasses, putting them on and squinting his eyes at the clock. He had only gotten four hours of sleep, which were refreshing, but left him wanting. Still, there was work to be done. The doctor rose from his bed and streched. He was still wearing the same clothing from last night and was starting to smell like it, but he couldn't settle down except for the nessicities right now, sleep and food. He had to test what Vincent was capable of, and more importantly, if he was still in there. Gast almost hoped he wasn't; he didn't know if he could look Vincent in the eye and tell him what he had done to him.

'By now they should have Vincent set up.' the doctor thought as he moved towards the lab entrance. Before he had taken his little rest, Gast had ordered the technicians to prepare a lot of sedatives and to put Vincent under. He was to be monitored at all times for any changes, and several guards were to be on standby in the labs, just in case. Finally, they were ordered to retrieve some Materia from storage, fully powered Materia for emergency usage only. Gast was one of the few people in Shinra with the skill and clearance to use it, and he just might need it.

Gast arrived at the lab and was greeted by applauses from the five technician there. He did his best to settle them. "Now, now gentlemen." the man began, putting on his best public face. It worked well to hide his disgust. "The experiment isn't done with yet, we still have work to do. Did you bring it?"

"Yes sir!" the oldest, Steven, came up to him, handing him a metallic box with a nine number key pad on it. Gast set the box on the nearest table and entered his combination. It didn't matter who saw it, the code will be changed after it's closed and locked again, and only Gast knows the next combination of numbers to open it. The box opened, and inside was an armlet with four Materia, three green and one red. Gast strapped the armlet to his arm, glancing at Steven. "Are the cameras prepared?" The assistant nodded quickly, gesturing around the room and at the ceiling. Indeed, there were a number of cameras in place to record the proceedings. Gast walking over to an unconscious Vincent, strapped to a table in the middle of the room. "Cut the sedatives and put the guards on alert." The doctor commanded plainly. The assistances moved around like bees in a hive, eager to assist the 'Great Professor Gast." Staring at Vincent, as pale as death and no doubt warped beyond imagining on the inside, Gast couldn't see what was so great about what he had done. 'I've made my choice.' Gast resigned. 'I'll have to live with it.'

After a few minutes, Vincent started to wake from his artificial sleep, wincing as the light above him hit his unprepared eyes. Gast lifted his recorder to his lips, speaking. "This is Professor Gast Faremis, about to attempt speaking with Vincent Valentine. For now we will test for any brain damage."

Vincent shook his head slightly, before trying to move. His eyes snapped open as he jerked about in his restraints. Try as he might, Vincent couldn't free himself. "Wha, What the hell is going on?" The raven haired man noticed Gast next to him. "Gast? What is this? I thought I.." The man trailed off. Gast sighed deeply. So far there didn't seem to be any damage, he'd have to make note of that later. "Vincent, there's something you should know."

* * *

Lucrecia opened her eyes slowly, quickly covering her eyes as painful sunlight hit them. Fighting off a massive headache, she reopened her eyes again. Her entire body felt numb, and she could barely make out any noise. Any sound she heard felt like a dull thud. Looking around slowly, Lucrecia saw that she was still on the boat, on some cushions under her. Her hearing slowly came to her and the numbing was strating to dissapte. Once her hearing fully recovered, Lucrecia was greeted by enthusiastic shouting.

"Master Cyan! She's awake!" she heard some ways away from her. Sitting up, she saw someone in armor similar in appearance to Cyan's, with a helmet that reminded Lucrecia of a Shinra Grunt's. The man weld a pole with a blade at the end. Cyan rounded a corner with two more guards in tow, looking incredibly relieved. He knelt beside he, grabbing her hand. "You gave me quite a scare, Miss Crescent." He smiled. She smiled back, "Sorry about that. It's a result of.." Lucrecia looked at the three men behind Cyan, suddenly hesitant. Lucrecia trusted Cyan with her life, but these men were strangers with whom she she would not devugled her secrects with.

"I see." Cyan mutter, aparrently catching the hint. "Can you walk?"

Without responding, Lucrecia climbed to her feet, with dificulty. "It would seem so. Where are we?" She asked as the pair exited the boat, the three men following behind them. As Lucrecia exited the ship she saw that she was on a beach, though the sea air was still pungent. Cyan directed her eyes around the beach they had landed on, quickly noting that the beach became a massive hill, at the top of which stood an imposing fortress, covered in armor and weaponry. It looked like a massive beetle covered in spikey armor. Lucrecia looked around the assembled party. All of them held a proud smile on their faces as they beheld the fortress.

"That is Doma Fortress my dear."

* * *

Pain coursed through Gast's entire body. He could barely move, and was fairly certain a few ribs were broken. Everything was blurry and a powerful metallic taste was in his mouth. A powerful ringing filled his ears, as though someone stuck a grenade in his ears. Fighting his throbbing head and the urge to throw up, Gast rubbed his eyes. His glasses were still on and unbroken fortunately. As his senses started returning to him, Gast gasped in horror, immediately regretting it as the pain in his ribs flared up and he coughed up blood. Absolute desolation was all Gast saw.


	6. Chapter 6

Grabbing a long piece of wood that looked to be a table leg, Gast used it to support himself as he stood up, painfully. The man scanned the area in utter horror. His lab was completely ruined. Every piece of furniture and equipment was shattered or warped beyond repair or imagining. Wood and brick and metal and glass were all over the place. Where Vincent was strapped, only a crater remained. Several corpses were all over the area, charred and smoking but recognizable regardless. Among them were the assistants, in addition to a few guards.

'Is this Vincent's doing?' the doctor questioned, still in shock at the devastasion that Vincent had apparently caused. Before blacking out, Gast remembered telling Vincent what had happened to him thus far. The former Turk didn't take news of his resurrection very well, to put it lightly. In his rage, his heightened emotional state must have triggered a transformation into one of his new alternate forms, similar to the "Limits" some of the world's most distinguished combatants spoke of. Gast remembered an orb of light engulp Vincent. The scientist had been standing far too close and was pushed back against the wall. And he had been lucky that what ever Vincent had become, had apparently considered him died.

Shifting slightly, a sharp pain ripped through Gast's body, threatening his balance. The man slowly and painfully unrolled his sleeve, breathing a sigh of relief. The materia was still here. Sliding a hand over the first, Gast felt an incredible, serene feeling emanate from it. Drawing on that feeling, Gast pulled it forth from the stone and unleashed it over his body. He felt the healing powers of a Curaga spell wash over him. Most of the damage was repaired, which meant he no longer needed the support. Tossing the wood aside, Gast walked through the desolation around him. He looked at Steven's smoking corpse, then at all the men. Only a look of horror was etched on their faces, their mouths twisted and gasping in pain, their eyes either blank or burnt out entirely. He was much too late to save any of them. 'I am to blame.' The man realized as he surveyed the area again.

'I am responsible for all of this.' Gast told himself, his eyes soaking in the chaos he had created. 'It was Hojo's and Lucrecia's experiments, but it was I that carried them out. I'm a bigger fool than Hojo.' A powerful explosion rocked the man, causing him to fall to his knees and break him out of his reflection. A loud roar followed, accompanied by faint, frantic gunfire and frightened screams. The scientist narrowed his eyes as he made his way towards the exit. 'I have no time for regret.' Gast resolved, following the sound of battle that continued to fill the halls. 'That thing needs to be stopped, at all cost.'

As Gast ran through the cave like halls, the body count continued to grow. There were dead guards everywhere, some burned to dead, some slashed apart, some blown apart. Bullet casings and holes were everywhere, so conventional weapons did little good. Still, he had something that might do the trick. Nonetheless, Gast grew more fearful with each step. He wasn't a Turk, or even a Guard. Even with his skill at magic, Gast knew he didn't have the mana reserves for a prolonged engagement. Only his guilt over the deaths of those around him, and the thought of what that _monster_ would do to Nibelhiem, drove him forward.

As Gast ran along the corridor, the sound and smell of gunfire grew more pungent, until he came upon his target fighting three guards. It looked like a miniature Behemoth. The beast wore a red cloak of sorts around it's waist, and it's hair was white. It was clearly not Chaos, but Gast recognized the beast from Hojo's data. He named it Galian Beast, a name cleverly derived from the late Dr. Galian, a Shinra scientist and animal breeder who discovered, captured, and catagorized many monsters in his life time, the most famous of which was the Behemoth. Despite it's size, it moved about as agile as Vincent did, if not more so. The beast moved between gunfire as though they were moving in slow motion. It quickly closed the distance on one of the guards, slashing at him. The beast's claws dug in and out of the man as they would air, leaving deep slashes on the man's chest. Given the size of the wounds and how deep they penetrated, he had maybe thirty seconds left to live.

One of the guards screamed in absolute horror as his comrade was cut down with spectacular ease, and opted to flee. The other guard continued shooting, drawing the attention of the crazed animal. The beast's hand glowed brightly, and then tossed a sphere of light that struck the fighting guard, exploded, and sent him flying into a wall. He fell to the ground and didn't move as his body quickly caught fire. From what Gast could see the orb tore into the man's chest as it exploded. Odds were good he was dead. The mini behemoth turned it's attention to the fleeing man. Sliding a hand over the red materia, Gast felt a powerful presence within the gem threaten to overtake him. Regardless, the doctor managed to keep his head, thankful that he managed to stay conscious. The last time he tried to summon he passed out. Taking a deep breath, Gast called out, somewhat weakly. "H, hey!" The beast's attention turned towards Gast, his enhanced hearing capable of detecting the doctor even from the distance between them. Wasting no time, he immediately charged at the stationary target. Gast was somewhat relieved. He may have just saved that man's life. But in the process, his own was not looking very secure at the moment. The doctor felt the world slow down. Like a deer in the headlights, he couldn't move, couldn't think properly. This was it. He was going to die. Second by second, the beast closed the distance. So many thoughts flooded Gast's head, none of which was relevant by comparison to the simple fact that it was all over.

The beast slashed at Gast, but his claw never hit home. What filled Gast's ears was a loud clopping as Odin charged forth out of nowhere on his steed, Sleipnir, ramming his spear into the beast Vincent had become. Howling in pain, the beast flew back, slamming into a rocky wall. There was a large hole on the beast's chest, but the wound closed up quickly. 'The Beast is no idiot apparently.' Gast noted, surprised that, after removing itself from the wall, he stood back and observed Odin, waiting for the summoned swordsman to make a move. 'It seems to recognize Odin as an opponent it should keep at a distance, or perhaps it retained some of Vincent's memory of Odin.' Odin stood waiting, his spear vanished and his sword withdrawn. After a tense minute, the beast grew tired of the stare down. The mini behemoth threw three balls of light in rapid session. The orbs flew through the air like rockets, all aimed for the summon that saved Gast's life. Gast himself moved behind a steel crate. Having seen the lethal potential of the beast's attack, standing so close to Odin at this point was suicide. Peeking his head over the crate, Gast looked on in absolute shock as Odin slashed apart the spheres with little effort. Even as the orbs exploded, Odin looked unfazed.

Odin and his steed shot forth like a cannon ball, his sword covered in flame, intent on ending this bout with his fabled one hit kill, Zantetsuken. Abandoning his long range strategy, the Galian Beast charged as well. The two combatants closed the distance between each other remarkably fast. As he came within inches of the beast, Odin swung his blade with unparrelled speed, sending flame everywhere in front of him. Odin's strike did little good, as the beast emerged from the flames in mere seconds, jumping over Odin's head as Odin slashed at his opponent, narrowly missing the fatal blow. The Galian Beast wasted no time attacking the summon's exposed back, turning around and throwing several orbs of light at the swordsman. One after the other the balls of light descended upon Odin quickly, exploding as they impacted, kicking up dust and rubble. The ground shook with each hit. Satisfied with his handiwork, the Galian Beast turned his attention back towards Gast, and Gast's breathing stopped. Swallowing the lump in his throat, the man closed his eyes as he prepared for the enivitable. Curing himself and summoning Odin had depleted most of his mana reserves, and he didn't have the energy to use the other two Materia at his disposal. 'I had given it my best.' the doctor thought as he control himself, trying not to run or soil himself. 'I can only hope that someone stops this thing.'

The beast snarled in anger before charging at the scientist once again, intent on killing the man this time. In it's haste, the Galian Beast didn't pay attention to the scene behind him, or the fact that his previous opponent was still alive. Sleipnir, although heavily damaged by the beast's attack, stood firmly. Odin looked no better, but his wrinkled face was just as determined to defeat the mindless beast before him. The swordsman summoned his spear, Gungnir, and held it back. Energy gathered around the weapon in seconds, and with a mighty heave, the summon threw the spear, aimed directly at the Galian Beast. The spear struck the beast in the chest, causing it to scream in agony. Gast opened his eyes in shock, barely able to process what just occured. The Galian Beast fell to it's knees, trying to pull the spear from it's chest. Odin took this opportunity to end it. Sleipnir shot forward once again, his mind seemingly linked to his master, as Odin summoned his sword again, the blade wrapped in fire.

As Odin quickly closed the distance, Gast noticed the Galian Beast, how tired and feeble it became with each second. It's powerful muscles began to shrink, it's beast like face became more human, and it's hair started to turn grey. Smoke seemed to curled off of it's skin as light surrounded it's body. "Wait!" Gast shouted, Odin's blade mere inches away from decapitating the Galian Beast's head. The swordsman obeyed his master's order without question, Sleipnir backing away from his master's opponent while the beast underwent a transformation. An orb of light surrounded the Galian Beast, and flickered from existance seconds later. In it's place, an unconcious Vincent was on the ground face down, spear still stuck in his chest.

Gast looked at Vincent skectically and cautiously. 'He doesn't seem to be getting up.' The Doctor edged towards the former Turk as silently as possible. Knelling down, the man placed two fingers on Vincent's neck. 'He's still alive?' Gast noted, shocked that anyone could survive a spear to the chest.

The man breathed a deep sigh of relief before turning to Odin. "That's enough. Thank you." The summoned nodded slightly before turning around, he and his steed fading from view as suddenly as they appeared. The spear in Vincent's chest disappeared as well. Gast wasted no time, retrieving his cell phone from his pocket. With a quick flip, Gast dialed the number for the security station. After a long few seconds, a guard picked up. "Hello?" he asked.

"This is Gast. I need as many men as you can spare. Notify any guards in town and the house immediately, and bring as many sedatives as possible. I'm in the basement labs."

"Yes sir." The man responded. Gast nodded in satisfaction. Shinra administration didn't give these men enough credit. They may not be able to raze a town on their own or fight like a Turk, but they were dependable, if you gave them a little respect. Closing the phone, Gast turned towards the direction of his ruined lab. He suddenly felt very drained, no doubt the prospect of reentering that hell hole draining his spirit. Regardless, it was his responsiblity. Just as he intended to personally notifiy the family of the deceased, Gast had to save whatever was possible. 'With any luck I can salvage something.'

Sparing a final glance at the uncounsious Vincent, Gast shook his head at the irony of that thought. 'Luck. I seem to be running out of that by the minute.'

* * *

Lucrecia stared at the fortress, amazed by the sheer size of the structure. She had seen several much smaller shacks set up on the way here, none of which were the scale of this fortress. Even by comparison to the few Shinra military bases she had been to, Doma eclipes every one, save the base in Junon. The party made their way up the hill, Lucrecia gazing every which way as she walked to the structure.

'That's odd.' Lucrecia realized, her party halfway up the hill. 'A few months ago a walk like this kill me, but now...'

Looking at her escourt, Lucrecia noticed that with the exception of Cyan, the other men were breathing heavily. The hill they were on was quite steep. A single misstep would send anyone tumbling to the bottom of the hill. Cyan was directly behind her, which was probably to stop her from falling. Still, having come as far as she had without a sweat was unnerving. 'I'll have to make note of that.' The doctor thought as she continued to walk.

Lucrecia and her ensemble entered the fortress with little fanfare. The party was expected, as the guards inside opened the doors the second they arrived. Once inside the three men saluted Cyan, standing at attention. "Sir, is there anything we can do for you?" The middle one asked. The elder man rubbed his chin before answering. "I would appreciate it if you found my son and had him meet me by the stables. After that you may return to your duties. Thank you for your assistance." The three ran off to parts unknown, leaving the pair alone.

"You have a son?" Lucrecia questioned, a little surprised at such a development. The man laughed. "But of course! Do you think the women would forsake a face this handsome?" he proclaimed, grinning and rubbing his chin in jest. The woman chuckled slightly. "I don't suppose they would."

The elder man smiled at her before walking along a path, jestering for her to follow. She complied, taking in her full surroundings for the first time. The area she was currently in was a wide expanse, far larger then she would have guessed looking outside. Lucrecia guessed the area was 60 to 70 yards wide. Above the entrance and going along the left and right walls was a balcony. Along the way there were several huts placed in seemingly random areas. From the large path they walked Lucrecia could see there was a wall with another door, possibly were those stables were. Several guards were on the balcony and lined up on the wall. She looked back at Cyan, who was looking back at her with a bemused expression. "What do you think of the fortress?" He asked honestly.

Lucrecia was unsure of what to say. She wasn't very familiar with military instilations and the like, so she honestly didn't have an opinion on the stucture. Everyone seemed organized though, a far cry from the guards stationed at that little station they pair had stopped in before, or the Shinra officers stationed in Nibelhiem. "It, looks good." She said, hoping not to offend. The man took it well, laughing the less than enthused comment off. "I imagine you don't have a mind for these types of things, do you? You need not worry of offending, lass. Doma just has a special place in my heart. I helped build her, you know. When I was a much younger man. I meet my wife here, and my son was born here."

"Why the need for such a fortress?" Lucrecia asked.

"There were, and still are, a number of enemies wishing to do away with Wutai. In the past rebellions ran rampent in an attempt to take control from the Kisaragi family."

"Kisaragi?" Lucrecia questioned.

"The Kisaragi family has been in charge of Wutai for decades. Although Wutai does have a Senate, The leader of the Kisaragi, Goda, holds a great deal of power and influence. More so than any other ruling family in Wutai. Although, in recent monthes Goda is making a number of enemies."

"Why is that?"

"Goda has begun taking in a number of refugees from the East. It's a firmly held belief that Shinra has it's sight on Wutai in some capacity. Frankly it's only a matter of time, and thus far Shinra holds a vast advantage over us in terms of technology as it is. Goda has begun taking in political refugees with certain skills in an attempt to prepare ourselves for a war. Are you aware of the Littner family and Dr. Galian?"

Lucrecia nodded. Very few in Shinra hadn't heard of the elderly Doctor Galian and his revolutionary research into monsters. Several years ago he was reported to have died in a car bombing by anti-Shinra terrorists, along with most of his latest research. She had recalled Vincent mentioning something about the Littner family as well. Apparently they were one of the few Weapon Companies left over from when Shinra was a weapon manufactoror. According to Vincent the quality of Littner's weaponry was so high that Shinra bought the company out and added what was left of the company to their work force, under the current head of Weapons Development. What was left of the family had, reportedly, died at sea. "I heard they all died. You mean to tell me they're alive?"

"Yes, and I helped them escape. I came across them on my travels and they told me they were tired of the corrupt life in Midgar and Shinra, and seeked to escape. I was retriving the Littner family while Vincent was visiting Wutai, and Dr. Galian was a few weeks before that. In return for their services they could live peacefully in Wutai."

"Am I the same?" Lucrecia asked suddenly, her face having grown more skeptical as Cyan's story went on.

"Excuse me?" Cyan cocked his head to the side, unsure of what she was asking.

"Are you just helping me because you want a weapon against Shinra? Vincent told me you weren't doing that, but that's what it sounds like." She turned to him, her face betraying her thoughts. She looked distraught, and a little heartbroken. "I didn't come this far to be used by anyone else."

Cyan blinked rapidly for a second, before closing his eyes and frowning. Lucrecia expected him to deny the accusation, furious that she would insinuate such a thing, so she was taken off guard when the older man bowed slightly. The gesture caught Lucrecia by surprise, and she was at a lost for words. "I apologize if I have lead your thinking astray. I swear to you on my life, that is not my intent. You are someone of great importance to a good friend of mine, not a gear in the ever churning war machine."

"Then, why do you want to train my baby?" It was a question she had been anxious to ask ever since Vincent had told her about it. Circumstances had prevented her from asking at the time, but since they were on the subject, Lucrecia thought it best to ask now. Despite what Vincent said, the burnette was certain there was much more then Cyan merely wanting to train another youth in the world how to defend himself. If he wasn't training a soldier against Shinra, what was his goal?

Cyan straighten himself and bore a wistful look. Seeing the weary expression on his face, Lucrecia almost regreted asking. "The truth of the matter is," he began, fingering the hilt of his blades absently. ", swordsmanship is a dying art. With the advent of the firearm, by far an easier weapon to wield in the hands of a layperson, fewer young people have an interest in studying the blade anymore. I am growing older, and as times change, the youth over the world are losing interest in old men such as myself." The older man sighed again before gesturing forward. Lucrecia complied wordlessly, walking forward once again.

"Worst yet, those who take an interest cannot properly grasp all that is required of them to learn my techniques. Mason is a rare case. He is strong in mind and body, and he has the displince nessasary to master his own spiritual energy." The swordsman shook his head in disappointment. "And yet, he lends his blade to the corrupt."

"What about your son?" She asked. Surely his own son could pass along his father's craft?

"Unfortunately he hasn't the talent for the blade. He is more skilled in the ways of the Monk then anything else. I don't want my art to fall into obsurity, forgotten because of the convinence of a gun."

"I see." Lucrecia nodded, able to understand all to well what Cyan was feeling. With all he had done for Shinra, and all that he had meant to her, Lucrecia didn't want anyone to forget what a great man Grimoire Valentine was. Only days after he had died, however, he was hardly spoken of in the Shinra main building. His lab had been taken over, his research and data were locked in storage, and his body was buried with little fanfare and a only a handful of attendance present. The man who had meant so much to her, who had done so much for Shinra, was nothing more than another name to the company.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Cyan." she apologized, unclear of what else to say.

The elder laughed again, apparently back in good spirits, which Lucrecia was greatful for. "Think nothing of it. It is only natural to question your path in life. Now, where was I?"

* * *

The pair had traveled a short distance to the large door on the other side of the fortress. On the way there Cyan continued to describe Wutai and explain it's situation. From what Lucrecia could gather, the main families in Wutai didn't want a significant amount of easterner influences in Wutai, as they were fearful of being underminded or fooled by foreigners. Lucrecia somewhat understood their perspective. Very little comunication exist between the Wutai and anyone else in the world, so caution should be taken when addressing the issue. Goda was taking the exact opposite approach, introducing radical reform to a generation set in it's beliefs and way of life, in preperation for a war that might not come.

Although, Lucrecia knew Shinra fairly well. As she connected the dots, a war with Wutai seemed pretty likely. The intensive research into Jenova and the pursuit of a super human army were no doubt steps Shinra was taking to prepare themselves for a lengthy campaign. So Lucrecia was certain Goda was taking the correct course of action. Lucrecia didn't know much about the Wutai military, but everyone in it better be as strong as Cyan in order to match the advantage Shinra has over Wutai in terms of technology. Lucrecia shared her thoughts with Cyan, and he agreed.

"I'm afraid I am a rarity. Unfortunately, those who govern Wutai think a better solution is availble."

Lucrecia shook her head slightly, out of sheer perpluxment. A better solution? Cyan is capable of cutting through steel! He sent a _Turk_ running with with his tail between his legs, which was an impressive feat to anyone who knew what they were capable of. "What solution would that be?" She asked, genuinely curious at what Wutai had in store.

As the pair reached the gate, Cyan said nothing. The guards opened the door and allowed them entry. "Cyan?" she asked, wondering if she had asked something she shouldn't have. "I heard you miss. I just thought it better to show you."

Lucrecia walked in, ill at ease. She wasn't worried about her safety, as Cyan was close behind her. Nonetheless, something was very wrong with this place. The open sky wasn't above them as it was in the other half of the fortress. Instead there was a ceiling, with lamps placed throughout the area allowing enough room to walk by. It was incredibly cramped as well, as the pair were in a corridor with very little room for the both of them.

"This use to be a storage room, until Professor Galian shared his particular profession with us."

"I don't understand." Lucrecia confessed. Dr. Galian was famous for his discovery and catologing of monsters across the world, but what could that possibly have to do with Cyan? "What does that have to do with anything?"

The pair had reached the end of the corridor, and the first thing Lucrecia noticed was a massive cage infront of her. The cage was easily five times as tall as she was, and much widered. There was very little light in the area, so Lucrecia couldn't tell what was inside, but from the twisted look of the metal bars, it was huge, and it didn't like being kept. All she heard was a faint, steady growl. It must be asleep.

Cyan moved infront of her, edging her back slightly. The woman noticed that Cyan fingered the hilt of his blade a little too often for her taste. The atmosphere was incredibly tense at the moment. "What's in the cage?" Lucrecia asked quietly.

"Galian calls it a 'behemoth'."

Lucrecia's eyes widened in shock, and she felt a very strong urge to leave the room as quickly as humanly possible. Behemoths were, simply put, tanks with flesh. Lucrecia recalled Hojo's doing extensive research into monster DNA, and the Behemoth in particular. He had viewed a number of archive footage of the Behemoth at work, and the amount of destruction one could cause was devastating. Entire towns had fallen to the one that Dr. Galian had captured. It was only because Behemoths were so rare that so few were ever seen, and they mostly keep to themselves as long as they were left alone.

So capturing one alive and tossing it into a cage wasn't the wasn't exactly a wise idea, in Lucrecia's opinion.

The burnette grabbed onto Cyan's shirt, tugging on it as a child would their parent's. "Cyan, I'd like to go now." she whispered, deathly afraid of waking it.

Cyan nodded, and the pair exited the room without incident. Once the exited the room, Lucrecia left go of Cyan and stared at the older man in disbelief. "Why is there a behemoth in a cage here? Where did you even find one?"

"There are a number of caves in the mountians behind this fortress." another voice began from behind the pair. Lucrecia turned around and saw a young man, in his early twenties. She know instantly that this was Cyan's son, as a great deal of his looks he must have inherited from his father. His hair was an unusual shade of dark green, and much shorter. He wore the same outfit as the other guards, but with no helmet. " Those caves are filled with a number of particularly nasty beasts. Beasts that can cause even my father some trouble." He held out a hand to her. "My name is Owain Garamonde. It's a pleasure."

"Lucrecia Crescent." the woman replied, shaking his hand politely. 'He seems nice enough.' Lucrecia thought as she sized the young man up.

Cyan engulfed his son in a bear hug as soon as he let go of Lucrecia's hand, picking him up and laughing as he did so. "My son! It's been some time!" Owain took it well. Although he didn't enjoy it, he laughed slightly at his father's hug. It had indeed been some time since they had last seen each other, and he was just as happy to see his old man. "I am happy to see you as well father, but could you put my down?"

* * *

"How goes the clean up?" Gast asked as he passed a pair of grunts picking up a few trash bags lined up against the wall. Both of them still had a ways to go though, as at least a dozen bags were lined against the wall.

"Could be better sir, but I can't complain." One of them replied, no doubt taking into consideration that his comrades meet a rather grizzly end today. Gast nodded before turning back ahead. It had been four hours since Vincent, or rather, the Galian Beast, had ravaged Gast's laboratory. At the moment, Gast was on his way to the lab again. Most of the debris had been cleaned up, but unfortunately most of the equipment had been destroyed, and replacements would take some time to arrive and set up. Luckily, Hojo's personal computer had remained untouched in his study, so Gast could contact President Shinra and update him on the situation, and possibly convince Shinra to allow Gast to get back to his vacation and research trip. Icicle Inn was looking all the more inviting to Gast with each passing minute he stayed in Nibelhiem.

Entering the room, the doctor spotted the technician, thanks to her orange jumpsuit and burnette hair, in the corner of the room. She was bent over, looking at the back of the computer, which was situated on a table. Gast couldn't recall her name at all, but she was a nice enough woman. As Gast walked up to her, she turned around. "Hey professor. I'm just about finished here." She clicked the mouse slightly, and the screen lit up. "You know how to work it right?" she asked playfully, well aware that a scientist of Gast's level should be well versed in operating a computer. The man chuckled. "I think I can manage from here. Thank you, Samantha." he read from her name tag. The woman said her farewells and exited as Gast took a seat in front of the computer.

Opening the proper communication channel, Gast couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous. The professor didn't like talking to President Shinra, if he could help it. The man expected miracles from Gast, and if he couldn't deliver Shinra made not-so-subtle "hints" as to what would happen to the scientist. It also didn't help that President Shinra was the most ammoral and downright detestable person he had ever met. Still, Gast did have a few cards to play, even if his hand wasn't the best.

The connection completed, and President Shinra's face appeared on the screen. "Mr. President? Can you hear me?"

"Yes Gast." The president responed, somewhat lazily. "What's the situation?" he asked. Although his question was straight to the point, his posture couldn't be more laid back. Shinra was leaning back in his chair with his arm rested on the desk, fingers druming the metal in incredible boredom. Neither enjoyed this briefings very much; President Shinra barely understood what Gast said, and would probably have to read everything Gast told him later on in the reports the scientist sent him, and Gast simply didn't care for Shinra. It was a nessary evil for both men though; Gast needed funding to at least try to do some good for the world, and Shinra wasn't going to lose everything he had built because he was to lazy to listen, or read the fine print.

Gast, taking a deep breath, decided to start from the begining. "It all started yesterday. Mason handed me a bag of Shinra data stolen by Lucrecia Crescent, that he recovered on his assignment. I examined it on the ride to Nibelhiem, and learned that the data was a theory formed by Grimoire Valentine and Ms. Crescent."

"Grimoire Valentine?" The president interupted. "He's not?"

"Vincent Valentine's father, yes." Gast confirmed. "He passed away in a lab accident a few years ago."

The president rolled his eyes in exhasperation. "Of course." He muttered, amazed at how... connected the entire situation seemed, and how no one seemed to catch that until now. One woman, working with the father of her guardian? And they all work for the same company? 'Sounds like something out of a soup opera.' "Continue."

"They pair named the theory 'The Omega Report'. In the report it detailed the summoning of Omega WEAPON, and it's herald, Chaos. It's a rather lengthy report which will take some time to explain, so I'll send you a copy instead. Anyway, the report also explained how to bind Chaos to a human host."

Shinra, who previously only listened with little interest, sat up as Gast's words sunk in. "Is that so?" Shinra whispered, his mind already considering the possibilities. Shinra recalled a few reports in which the phrase "WEAPON" was mentioned, and phrases and descriptions of incredible power were often associated with them. "How is this done?"

* * *

"So, Chaos can't be extracted?" The president questioned, disappointed at having lost such a valuable resource.

"I'm afraid not, sir." Gast shook his head. "But as I have stated, I have perfected Hojo's Monster DNA enhancement experiment. The Galian Beast, as Hojo named it, cause a great deal of damage to the lab and killed at least a dozen of our personel before being stopped by Odin. I'll send you the video feed of the Beast's rampage in a few."

Samantha put the recorded video feed on the desktop, so it was easy to locate. After attaching it to an e-mail, the doctor sent the video to his employer.

As Shinra waited patiently for the video, Gast sighed deeply. 'I'm using the tragedy I instigated to support my research. How ironic. If there is a hell, I surely deserve a trip to it.' Gast didn't enjoy what he was doing, but he was trapped. Shinra won't allow him to back out now. If he understood Shinra as well as he thought he did, the man would want Gast to personally undertake this project. And he will want a project dedicated to Hojo's experiment, because it cost next to nothing for Shinra, by comparison to the incredible weapons that could be produced. More weapons of war were inevitable.

Nonetheless, Gast had plans.

Shinra wanted results, so he would give them to him, but Gast had to be in control and see it through to the end. Only then would any good come of the death and destruction he had committed. Shinra is a very intelligent man, but he fails to understand that not everyone views human life as an expendable commodity. That is his weakness, and that's what Gast will use to his advantage.

* * *

Finally got this one out. Thanks for the reviews guys! Lets me know I'm doing _something_ right. I'm also going back and making some changes to previous chapters. Nothing major, just spelling errors and wierd looking sentences.


	7. Chapter 7

With a frustrated sigh, Gast continued strolling down a seemingly endless list of names. This is a necessary step in his plans, but Gast didn't think finding worthy candidates would be so difficult.

Shinra was all to eager to fund Gast's research on his latest project, which surprised the scientist very little. After seeing what Vincent was capable of as the Galian Beast, the President practically drooled at the potential of an army capable of such destruction, all of which was at his command. What surprised Gast was how quickly Shinra wanted the scientist to begin. After Gast finished his report, Shinra seemingly expected Gast to start at that moment, which Gast certainly wasn't ready or willing to do. The scientist still needed new samples of monster DNA, more time to look for any potential side effects, in addition to a laundry list of other tasks. And most of all, Gast needed a break. The man had been working practically non stop for days, and the sheer physical and mental toll of recent events had taken their effect on the scientist.

Shinra was understanding of Gast's plight though, and gave him two weeks off. That only made sense, as Shinra was sensitive to the fact that Gast wouldn't be very productive in the state he was currently in. During that time, though, Gast was to select the men who would accompany him on his research trip. Any and all usable resources were being packed up and shipped back to Shinra HQ, along with any soldiers left in Nibelhiem, but Gast would obviously need help acquiring samples on his trip, and protecting him along the way. Shinra wasn't willing to spare any Turks until a full investigation of every Turk was completed, which was an understandable precaution given recent events. Shinra had considered giving Gast that female Turk who Vincent had injured, Aliza. But alas, she's still injured, and given the extensive damage to her shoulder it may never work properly again.

With the obvious option out of the way, Gast had to turn to the next best thing, the Shinra Guards stationed in Nibelhiem. And thus, Gast sat down and search for anyone of note currently stationed in Nibelhiem. The man was tempted to select a dozen random guards and call it a day, but the better, more logical part of him wouldn't allow it. Gast needed men that were dependable, determined, and loyal to him, not the company. At first, Gast had closely studied the guards themselves, to get a better view at the men behind those helmets. Unfortunately, Gast was woefully disappointed. After Vincent's betrayal and the Galian Beast's rampage in the Shinra manor, most of the guards were keeping to themselves and running out the clock. With no known major projects attracting the attention of anti-Shinra forces, and the high increase of danger from within that continued to grow, the guards had settled into a noticeable state of inactivity.

Gast found the whole thing ridiculous. He truly mourned for the deceased men that died at the hands of the Galian Beast, and sympathized with the men that feared for their lives, but every guard volunteered for the job they held. Did they think it would be a pleasure cruise? A free meal ticket that could be cashed in after a few months service? Becoming a Shinra guard is the equivalent to joining an army; anything could happen and their lives could be taken in a heart beat. If you weren't prepared for this possibility, why would you offer your services? And the general feeling of apathy that emanated from the majority of them didn't help, nor would it prepare any of them if any anti-Shinra terrorists _did_ attack.

Needless to say, a more hands on approach didn't do much, so Gast was forced to examine the records of the guards stationed in Nibelhiem, in the hope of finding someone of note. With any luck, the lack of drive the permeated Nibelhiem thus far would dissipate when Gast took to the road.

Glancing at the recommendation list on his screen, devoid of a single name, Gast decided that he had had enough for now and leaned back, massaging the bridge of his nose in frustration at his ever increasing list of problems. Gast still didn't know what to do with Vincent. The man was still alive and put into a drug induced coma, but he surely couldn't stay that way forever. Other than Gast himself, no one else knew Vincent was alive and in a coffin, locked in a storage room with no one to disturb him. Releasing him would still be rather risky; the man might still be angry over what Gast had done and transform again in his anger. Nevertheless, keeping the former Turk captive against his will after all that Gast had done to him simply didn't seem... fair, to put it lightly. Vincent had no control over what was done to him, and he certainly didn't deserve to be made into a monster.

A sudden spark of inspiration hit. The doctor didn't want to risk any damage or deaths at the hand of Vincent's transformations, but all the same the man deserved to be free. Perhaps...

There was a knock on the door, causing the doctor to sit up. Curious at who would visit him at this hour, Gast turned around and faced the door. "Come in." he beckoned loudly, giving consent.

A lone guard poked his head through the door before walking in. Gast quirked an eyebrow. He certainly wasn't expecting this. Hopefully nothing troubling has happened. "What can I do for you?" The scientist asked. The guard looked down slightly. "I hope I wasn't bothering you sir, I just wanted to thank you personally, for saving my life."

"Not at all." The scientist remarked as he closed the documents on his computer, recalling how pathetic his search results thus far had been. Then the man shook his head. 'Saved his life?' "I'm afraid I don't understand what your talking about, mister...?"

"Cale Kinsley sir. Just Cale is fine." The man shifted uncomfortably. "I was the one that ran away sir. From that... thing."

Familiar images of a frightened man running for dear life, abandoning his dying comrades, came to Gast's mind, and realization of the obvious followed. "So your the one that got away. Have a seat. And take off that helmet please; it's impossible to tell you guys apart otherwise." The man did so, revealing short black hair and a tan complexion. Gast wasn't an expert on such things, but the young man seemed attractive enough, if a little skittish. The guard took the chair next to Gast and pulled it out, settling it in front of his superior and sitting down. As Cale gestured his hands slightly, at a lost as to what to say, Gast noticed the man's nervous deposition and sighed slightly. "Relax. Just say what is on your mind."

The younger man took the words to heart and began. "Well, I just wanted to thank you is all. I know you can't think much of me after I ran like that."

"Frankly, I think you did the right thing." Gast spoke, shaking his head in disagreement to Cale's assumption. "That thing was far beyond what we mere mortals are capable of dealing with."

"But you dealt with it didn't you?" Cale questioned, casting a skeptical gaze on the doctor. "I watched the whole thing on the stairs. You didn't flinch. You stood your ground and summoned that... warrior guy." he managed, clearly not sure what Odin was. His comment brought a small smirk to Gast's lips, which parted after a second. "I ran away like a coward."

"I didn't flinch because I was too afraid to move." The man laughed, then stopped when he noticed the deflated expression on Cale's face. Gast felt his expression was odd, all things considered. He was alive right? What was there to feel depressed about? "What's the problem?"

"I joined Shinra because I wanted be someone. You know those commercials they had? With the Shinra soldiers climbing mountains and saving lives?" Gast nodded slightly. Although not much of a television viewer, he had caught a more than a few "Join Shinra" commercials then he cared to. Gast knew exactly what it was like to work for Shinra, and it was anything but glamorous. "I wanted to improve myself, to make a difference. But all we do is clean after everyone else and run errands. Or get killed." The young man was ranting now, his voice raising with every word. Gast did nothing to stop him; what the young man was saying was very enlightening, and provided a great deal of insight into how these men thought. It was so easy to forget that behind those helmets were young adults with thoughts and ambitions of they're own.

"It's like we don't even matter. Did you know Ms. Crescent ordered me to wait for Hojo to wake up? She said Vincent could take care of her just fine. I sat in the room for four god-damn hours waiting for Hojo to wake up, then I had to listen to him put me down on the ride to the site, complaining about how we lost he precious test subject." he chuckled darkly, a reaction from someone who clearly didn't think the subject at hand was funny. "And the kicker is, they're both right! All we do is get in way. It's no wonder half the people here are about ready to piss themselves and get the hell out of here; the _scientist_ is a better fighter than we are." The guard noticed Gast quirk an eyebrow and quickly realized what he had just said. "Um, no offense intended sir." He managed.

Gast shook his head slightly, not offended at what was, in the scientist's opinion, a justified complaint. The "grunts" were suppose to protect Gast and his staff from hostile threats, not the other way around. And it was a forgone conclusion to any knowledgeable Shinra employee that once Hollander finished the Jenova Project and Gast put the finishing touch on his own project, the company's value of these men would sink even lower, if such a thing were possible. And it wasn't as though Shinra couldn't prepare these men for threats like the Galian Beast; it was just that Shinra had no faith in what an average man would could do, and refused to waste time and resources on "better" instruments of destruction. A plan was formulating in Gast head. A few more factors would have to be verified of course, but he might be able to do something.

"What do you intend to do about it?" he asked Cale. The young man looked flabbergasted, as though Gast asked him to move the stars themselves.

"I don't understand sir. What_ can_ I do?"

"The reason Turks are so powerful is because they all undertake a tremendous amount of esoteric training. They have a lot of natural talent, but talent alone can't get you anywhere. You should have seen the amount of torture Vincent put himself through to be able to do what he ca.. could do." Gast looked at the young man slightly. He didn't noticed Gast's near slip, so the older man continued. "If you want to improve yourself, your going to have to try. I mean really try, not go along with what Shinra gives you."

The young man paled slightly, obviously uncomfortable with such grievous physical labor, let alone 'torture'. Of course Gast had no intention of even suggesting putting the youth under what Vincent withstood. Gast had a feeling that neither of them had the stomach for it.

"Of course, physical prowess0 isn't the only path to strength. Have you ever considered magic?"

* * *

Dr. Hollander walked down the halls of Shinra HQ with a powerful stride and a smug expression. The past few days had been extremely kind to the man. After so many years of humiliation and bitterness suffered at the hands of Hojo, his _former_ rival has fallen out of favor with Shinra, and he had fallen hard. The disgrace Hojo had brought upon himself would never allow him to rise in influence again, and Hollander was a shoe-in for the Head of the Science Department position. All that was left was for Gast to retire, and that shouldn't be long now; Gast had expressed interest in stepping down from his position a number of times in the past. Hollander gave him two years, maybe less.

It was a satisfying feeling really. The knowledge that, despite how aggravating, no, infuriating it had been for Hojo to receive so much more funding and resources all these months now, the man had failed spectacularly, in the worst way imaginable.

And to top matters off, he had to watch Hollander's rise to the top in person, unable to do a thing about it! As a man of science, Hollander found the idea of gods ridiculous, but Hojo's fall from grace had tempted the man to become a believer. After all, what else could have damned his former rival so thoroughly, placing Hollander in the perfect position to claim what both men coveted so fondly?

That question caused Hollander to stop suddenly. Having actually asked the question to himself, the answer was very obvious. The actions of the divine weren't responsible for Hojo's downfall. No, the blame laid with the actions of Lucrecia Crescent and Vincent Valentine. The two of them schemed and plotted, and deprived Hojo of his experiment. Of course Hojo's own lack of awareness to his surroundings also played a vital part, but Lucrecia and her guardian deserve a good portion of the blame as well. After all, if they had chosen to leave things as they were, Hojo would still be the companies' golden boy and would no doubt receive the position of Head of the Science Department. Hojo would be unjustly favored and praised, and Hollander would fall to the wayside, despite Hollander's no doubt superior ability.

Hollander sent a silent thank you to the two, but the thought also opened his eyes a good deal. Hojo may be a fool, but to not learn from the lesson from Hojo's experience was even more foolish. Hollander could not allow the same to happen to him. Gillian certainly seemed loyal to the project, but was she really? Perhaps she harbored doubts about the project like Lucrecia seemed to have had? What ever the case, he would certainly have the tighten security. He had no intention of losing Gillian the same way Hojo loss Lucrecia. Shinra wanted results and power, and Hollander wanted knowledge and prestige; neither men had any intentions on missing out on those things because of some woman's lingering doubts.

As Hollander rounded the corner and entered his office, he spotted Hojo standing against the wall to the side of his desk, his eyes closed. Hojo noticed Hollander's entry, opening his eyes briefly before frowning and closing them again. Hollander smirked to himself as he sauntered over to his desk, taking a seat. "What can I do for you Hojo?" the man asked.

"I want to know in what capacity I'll be working on in _Project G_." Hojo practically spat the last few words out, as though it was poison he was forced to swallow.

"Hmm, I can't say honestly." The larger man answered truthfully. Hojo opened his eyes and looked at his new superior skeptically, unsure of whether or not the other man was taunting him.

Hollander took in Hojo's look and smirked yet again. "I haven't taken into account how my increased budget and a larger portion of Jenova affects the project. I had, for example, planned use a sample from Gillian, after I inject what little of Jenova I have, on another subject. Now it seems I don't have to dilute the samples any, though I might try it to see what happens."

"I see." Hojo whispered, loud enough for Hollander to hear. "Thank you for your time." He said politely, though both men knew how Hojo really felt. As Hojo turned to leave, Hollander shouted, "Close the door on your way out." Hojo stopped suddenly, before resuming his exit and closing the door behind him. Hollander's grin spread even more as he rested his feet on the desk, hands behind his head. He was feeling very good.

* * *

As the door closed, Hojo breathed a silent sigh of relief before grinning darkly, proudly patting a folded piece of paper and a plastic card in his left pocket.

* * *

Lucrecia stared at the ceiling apathetically, far too awake to drift to sleep. She had never in her life recalled being so bored.

The thought had never occurred to the former Shinra scientist until recently, but she was always preoccupied with something as far back as she could recall. Whether it was earning her various degrees in her field, or working under Grimoire, Gast, or with Hojo, she always had something to take up her time. Lucrecia certainly dwelled on the uncertain and the unpleasant, but never before has she experienced such an irritating feeling of helplessness and aimlessness.

When she arrived at Doma Fortress, she, Cyan and his son, Owaine, had debated for hours over how effective trained beasts would be over Shinra's technological supremacy. Owaine was a steadfast supporter of Professor Galian's methods, reasoning that the more monsters that fought in Wutai's place, the fewer human casualties there would be on their side. Although it was a valid point, Lucrecia remained skeptical. Trying to tame a beast like the Behemoth was trouble all around. She pointed out that Behemoths weren't like any other monsters; Though not on par with humans, they are smart. They could use magic as well, and devastating magic at that. Neither Owaine or his father has seen what Comet or Flare was capable of, and she hoped for their sakes that they wouldn't. Owaine still supported Galian's methods, but he seemed to be much more cautious now, which was a small, but appreciated, victory.

It was an unpleasant, but necessary conversation to have, and at least it was something to _do_.

For the last two days Lucrecia had been in her room with nothing better to do. Owaine and Cyan wouldn't let her help around the base by cleaning, due to her condition and the fact that it wasn't her responsibility. She had written as much she could remember about Jenova and the Chaos Report, and she didn't want to think about Vincent for too long; that seemed to always lead to crying.

A knock on the door caught Lucrecia's attention, followed by a question. "It's Owaine. Are you decent?"

Lucrecia sat up and briefly wondered what he was refering to, before understanding the question. Lucrecia was female, and a very male Owaine obviously didn't want to create any awkwardness should she be changing or something. Lucrecia, currently dressed in something Cyan called a "kimono", decided that she was proper enough to invite the young man in.

"I'm fine. What do you need?"

Owaine opened the door, a small smile on his face. "I was wondering if you wanted to explore the base a bit. Almost everyone's asleep so no one will bother us. Besides, you must be bored sitting in here for so long."

Lucrecia slowly stood up, nodding her head. It has been two days, and she spent them in this room. Although Cyan made it clear that she could come and go as she please, within reason, Lucrecia didn't really feel comfortable in Doma Fortress. The woman was unsure if it was simply paranoia and discomfort about being in new surroundings, but something told her that she was unwelcome; as though she interrupted something private. Nevertheless, she was growing more bored by the minute, and staying cooped up in this room any longer was not an appealing prospect. Since most of the base's occupants were sleeping at this time of the night, at least she could explore and learn more about Wutai, without alienating her hosts.

The two stepped outdoors, before Lucrecia cursed and walked back in, slipping on her shoes by the door. She understand why they took they're shoes off at the door, but it was still something she hadn't gotten used to.

Lucrecia walked back outside to see Owaine grinning slightly. With a small frown, she punched him on the arm playfully before walking onward.

* * *

The two walked through the visitor quarters in silence for the most part. Owaine tried to spark a conversation, but Lucrecia knew far too little about Wutai to provide anything of note, and the only interesting parts of her life involved things she was reluctant to talk about with anyone, let alone someone she barely knew. As a result, Owaine settled into an uncomfortable silence. Lucrecia noticed that he looked rather flustered about something, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She just hoped she didn't offend him with the lack of conversation.

Lucrecia was far more interested in studying the base, from it's buildings to the strange symbols she noticed all over the place. The building structures were truly alien to the former Shinra scientist. Compared to the somewhat homely and out of date housings she had seen in Nibelhiem, or the high tech cyberpunk-like structures she'd seen in Midgar, the buildings here had a somewhat ancient feel to it. It wasn't exactly a bad thing, but she certainly wasn't used to it.

Lucrecia focused on some of the odd symbols she spotted on the side of one of the small buildings. Walking up to it, she looked at her escort. "What is this?" She asked, curious.

Owaine smiled again, tilting his head slightly. "That's a sign. It says Visitor's quarters. You don't know how to read Wutain?"

Lucrecia's eyes widened slightly, shaking her head. It never occurred to her that what she was seeing all over the place had been writing, which was obvious upon retrospect. She had assumed that, because she and every Wutai native she had met so far spoke the same language, the same would apply for writing. Apparently that's not the case.

"You didn't learn it on your way here?"

"No." She replied, beginning to walk again. "I didn't have time. I really rushed to get here, and after Vincent..." she stopped suddenly, realizing what she was about to say. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she continued. "After Vincent died, I didn't think about anything else for a while."

"I see." Owaine whispered quietly, somewhat apologetically. Apparently he realized that he had unwittingly brought up an unwelcome subject. "Well, I could teach you, if your interested."

"Sure." Lucrecia answered, trying not to sound too excited. Not only was it something to do, but it was something learn. As a scientist, Lucrecia was always hungry for knowledge, and removing herself from Shinra didn't change that. Besides, if she was to stay in Wutai, she'd need to know how to read.

"Alright!" Owaine almost shouted, apparently excited enough for the both of them. "I'll find a place for us to.." he was cut off by a thud, as something landed on the ground behind them. Turning around quickly, the pair noticed a body dressed in dark clothing, with slash marks across his back.

"What the hell?" Owaine shouted, as he ran to the body.

* * *

"It's a good thing you found him when you did." the elderly doctor, Dr. Kadowaki, spoke to Owaine and Lucrecia as she walked out of the infirmary with Cyan, closing the door behind them. The pair rose from their seats across from the infirmary entrance. "And it's a very good thing this young lady had this stone on her. What's it called?"

"A 'Cure' Materia." Cyan and Lucrecia answered simultaneously. Dr. Kadowaki nodded at the responses, glancing at the green gem with a curious look. "Ah. I see. May I keep it here?" She looked at the younger woman. "I'd love to study it."

"Um, sure." She answered, somewhat unsure. Lucrecia never really saw it as hers, but no one else really had any claim over it. Besides that, she doubted Vincent would mind how and where it would be used from here on. "Who is he? Will he be alright?"

"His name is Yariza. He'll be fine once he heals up. I cured the life threatening injures, but it will be a while before he fully heals." Cyan commented, folding his arms, his face grim. "Unfortunately, we have other problems to be concerned with. That young man is a disciple under Master Goda. A few families with significant influence have tired of easterners 'poisoning' Wutai and has used Goda's current unpopularity to try and usurp him, and seize power for themselves." He looked towards Lucrecia sympathetically, causing the woman to grow uneasy. "Apparently they didn't take to your arrival very well. They think your an enemy spy, and that I've grown senile."

"Then, this is my fault?"

"No." Cyan answered sternly, leaving no room for argument. "There is no excuse for such senseless violence. Whoever is causing this unrest is looking for power, and is using an already delicate situation to obtain it." Lucrecia lowered her head at that. Although it was certainly comforting to hear Cyan say that, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was to blame for this entire situation.

"They've become this aggressive?" Owaine muttered, shaking his head in disapproval at what was done to the injured young man.

"I'm afraid so. That young man risked life and limb to come here. Master Goda needs me to to return to maintain order. I'm leaving tonight." Lucrecia looked up at that, and became uncomfortably aware that everyone else in the room was looking at her.

Lucrecia bit her lip. "I see." she whispered, unsure of what else to say. A dreary silence fell over the room, and Cyan sighed deeply. He turned towards his son, his expression deadly serious. Owaine snapped at attention immediately. This wasn't Cyan, his father, staring at him; this was Cyan, legendary general of Wutai, addressing a subordinate. "Keep the guards on full alert. Yariza couldn't speak much, but from what I gather there's a possibility that his attacker is still alive, possibly on his way here. Keep an eye on her, and I'll try to return in a few months or so." Neither man needed to elaborate on who "her" was, so Owaine nodded. Cyan spared another sympathetic glance towards Lucrecia, and left without a word.

"Lucrecia? Are you ready to return to your quarters?" Lucrecia felt a sense of deja vu at Owaine's question. For a second, the image of a Shinra soldier overlapped Owaine's, causing a chill to roll down Lucrecia's back. The woman mentally shook it loose. Standing up without a word, Lucrecia nodded and followed Owaine out of the room and back into the night. All of a sudden, a very familar sensation fell over her. She was in Nibelhiem all over again. No, even at it's worst Nibelhiem had Vincent. Here, Vincent was gone, forever, and Cyan was leaving, for who knows how long. Here, she had no friends to turn to, no allies to protect her, and was seemingly trapped in what felt like an unwelcome, and possibly hostile, environment. And unfortunately that didn't seem likely to change anytime to soon.

'I've traded one prison for another. What was the point of everything I've done until now?'

* * *

Hey guys. Been a while huh? College (and laziness) can do that. The whole Lucrecia back story thing is going a bit longer than I expected, truth be told I'm a little anxious to get to Sephy. But I won't rush it, for rushing is bad. Y'all have a nice Thanksgiving!


	8. Chapter 8

Aliza stared at the ceiling of her room intently, counting the tile for the third time in a row in order to preserve her sanity; the smell of disinfectant and cleanliness grated her nerves more than the worst of her missions ever did. The Turk took great care not to stare at her arm or the doctor who examined her. Aliza was well aware of what kind of future she had in store for her, and although she understood that the doctor had a job to do, wasting so much time for this man to tell her something she already knew aggravated her nerves and made her feel incredibly insecure. Turks prided themselves on their composure and ability to handle life threatening situations, but the sense of powerlessness she felt right now was worse than almost anything she'd ever dealt with on the field.

Although, that discomfort was nothing compared to what the complete lack of feeling she had from her shoulder down was making her feel.

"So can you fix it or what?" she asked out loud, glancing at the man while ignoring her bandaged arm as best she could. The doctor, who had previously been examining her arm, looked at the young woman with a glimmer of pity before suppressing it, reminding himself that it wouldn't do to get emotional; from Dr. Collin's experience, his more professional patients preferred an equally direct and detached professional to handle them. Aliza caught the brief glimmer of pity well enough, but keep her expression neutral; she was grateful enough that the doctor knew well enough to understand that she wanted no sympathy. Aliza was a firm believer in the saying "live by the sword, die by the sword". Though she didn't intend on doing any dying, it was always a possiblity in her line of work that she was prepared for.

'Well, former line of work, anyway.'

"I'm afraid not. I've never seen such extensive damage before." Dr Collins walked over to the wall adjacent his patient, pulling down a slide with a picture of the human body, along with details and notes printed on it. He pointed to the body's right shoulder, circling the entire section with his finger. "Almost this entire section is pulverized bone and flesh. It's a wonder the whole arm didn't come off."

"Hmm." Aliza replied apathetically, not bothering to respond to his statement. Drenching her entire arm with potions and bio-form and thoroughly wrapping her shoulder didn't take much effort.

The doctor was put off by her lack of interest but continued all the same, trying to get her to open up. "What did Vincent shoot you with?"

The blonde sighed in exasperation. "Probably that toy gun of his. Cerboros or something. I've seen that thing shoot down a helicopter once." She commented thoughtfully, looking back at her injured shoulder and counting her blessings. If he weren't pressing her for info Vincent could have easily shot her a little more to the right, which would have lead to a very bloody death. All things considered, she was lucky he only 'nicked' her. 'Or maybe Vince went easy on me.' Aliza considered. The Vince she remembered was pretty different from the one that spared that shack full of guards, so it's possible he'd show a little mercy to a former comrade.

"I see. Well at this point, the arm is little more than dead weight. You can keep it if you want, or we can remove it and get you a prosthetic."

The woman shrugged with her good arm. She hadn't really considered yet. She was pretty attached to her arm, even if it didn't work, and having seen some of Shinra's robotic prosthetics, she wasn't impressed. With the strong emphasis on genetic manipulation that had taken hold on Shinra's Science Department, robotics had taking a noticable backseat, and was something more along her mother's alley in the weapon's division. Though a robotic hand similar to the cartoons she used to watch sounded awesome, Aliza doubted it would be to the degree that would allow her to get back into her former life. If she held out, it was possible that science would be able to heal her arm completely. On the other hand, having a barely functioning mechanical arm was certainly better than dead weight, and there was no telling when medical science would ever advance enough to fix her arm, let alone if it got to that point at all. And that's not including the nasty side effects that brought Vincent back to life before Gast put him down for good. Aliza would be damned before she'd allow some nutcase mess around with her DNA.

"I'll think about it." she commented, yawning and waving the doctor off with her good hand without looking at him.

Well, I'll get going then." The doctor said, not sure at what else to say as he left his patient.

Looking at her right shoulder, Aliza suppressed a shudder as she considered her future without a functioning arm. It wasn't as though she wouldn't be taken care of. She was daughter of Head of Weapons Development after all. And she did accrue a sizable amount in her bank account as a Turk. Indeed, she'd never want for anything material in her life again. The problem was probably what she would do with her time. Turks don't do what they do just because of the sizable pay checks, although the money certainly helped. There was a certain sense of excitement that came with the job. Aliza knew even stiffs like Vince or Mason felt it, even if they didn't admit it.

'Well,' the blonde thought with a smirk, 'At least I can spend a little more time with Scarlet. I think mom's becoming a bad influence on her.' The woman raised an eyebrow at that, considering the fact that a professional murderer for a mother couldn't be much better than a vindictive gold digger for a grandmother. 'Well, she doesn't need _any more_ negative influences in her life.'

* * *

Mason moved throughout the Turk's central floor purposely, giving the occasional colleague a wave as they passed him. The man was currently on his way to the office of his boss, Verdot, in order to help him go over his assessment of the Turks currently under Shinra employ. Today was going to be his last day in Midgar for some time, having been ordered to accompany Hojo and Hollander back to Barona Village, and become Head of Security over 'Project G' for as long as Hollander needed.

Mason wasn't one to complain about his assignments; the Turk considered himself a professional above all else, and no professional complained about his assignments, but his belief was sorely tested once he had heard the details of his latest endeavor. The brunette likened the task to babysitting, but instead of children he'd have to deal with two amoral prima donnas who treated everyone like property and insisted on lording their superiority over anyone with a lower IQ. The constant condescending attitudes Hollander and Hojo loved to shove in everyone's face quickly wore on Mason's considerable self control. He had had his share of such attitudes in the slums.

'Well,' Mason thought with a shrug, trying to think positively. 'Hojo might not be as bad with his recent humiliation and new found weariness of Turks. He isn't worth as much as he use to be, and might tread lightly." Thoughts of Hojo brought thoughts of the scientist's new boss, and Mason's bitterness returned. 'But Hollander's on cloud nine. He could be a real pain in the ass considering how much Shinra stroked his ego these last few weeks.'

The fact that Mason was also leaving the comforts of the upper plate of Midgar for a backwater town like Barona didn't help matters. The Turk had put a considerable amount of effort into advancing as far as he had, rising from the slums of Sector 3 to an incredibly expensive (and justifiably so) apartment near Shinra HQ. Although Banora wasn't nearly as bad as the slums of Midgar, the Turk didn't enjoy the prospect of traveling to the country to babysit for at least a year.

'But orders are orders.' Mason recited inwardly, repeating his own personal mantra internally as he looked around Shinra HQ, waving at people who recognized him. It's what he told himself when he killed or kidnapped under Shinra before. At least, if he were lucky, he wouldn't have to do much of either for a year or so.

Upon reaching Verdot's office, another man opened the door and exited, dressed in the typical Turks attire. "Oh, hey Mason." The man spoke, offering his hand. Mason shook it briefly, nodding to the man. "Hello Smith. The chief in?"

"Yeah. He just gave me some more paper work to do. Ever since that crap Vince pulled in Nibelhiem it's been nonstop! I hope you kicked his ass good on that boat for this."

The swordsman shrugged. "I suppose. I did capture him after all. Too bad Hojo killed him." He replied bitterly, still angered over the scientist's stupidity. "Yeah, whatever." Smith shrugged, not particularly caring. Looking at his watch, the man's eyes widened. "I need to get going. Gotta finish this paperwork and get out of here. I'll see you around Mason."

The swordsman waved him off before stepping into his boss's office. 'With any luck, things won't get worse.'

* * *

Turks by definition were light sleepers, and Aliza was no different. So when a pair of men walked up to her door in the middle of the night, the woman was wide awake and feeling around for anything she could use as a weapon. Her sole working hand found a surgical knife and a plastic fork on the bed stand, and she placed them at her side, listening carefully to the hushed voices outside her door.

"Are you sure we read it right? I mean she's a Turk man, they wouldn't want us killing a Turk."

"Former Turk." The other voice said, his hands jingling around as he struggled to find the right room key in the dark. "She's all gimped out now, remember? She's easy pickings. Besides, you read the orders."

"I guess so."

For some reason, Aliza was more offended that these two men considered her 'easy pickings' then that fact that someone wanted her dead. Regardless, her mind did process that tidbit of information, and she was out of her bed in an instant, covering the bed to give it the appearance that she was still sleeping. She took her improvised weapons with her as she hide behind the door, never so much as making a sound the entire way.

"I can't see a damn thing here. Can't we just shoot the room or something?"

"No, we don't want to wake anyone up remember? Ah! There we go." The man said, as he found the key to the room and opened it.

The door opened and the pair of men walked in, machineguns to the side. "Ms. Hathorne?" The first questioned. "Are you awake? We need to speak with you."

Having had enough, Aliza struck. Flying from behind the door, she kicked the man with the keys behind the right knee, dislocating it and bringing the man down instantly. Before his partner could turn around, he received two quick stabs from a surgical knife in his throat and skull, killing him. She kicked the man into the door, forcing it closed. Satisfied, Aliza knelt down, placing her knee on the injured man's back. As she began searching him, she couldn't help but grin. Even without an arm she still had it.

"Easy pickings, huh? That was pretty stupid by the way, talking about your how you were going to kill me and all. You never know whose listening." After removing his weapons, a handgun, his machine gun, and a knife, all of which she took for herself, she turned the man face up and stared into his eyes, savoring the pained expression on his face. Taking out her plastic fork, she hovered it dangerously in front of his eye. "Since you like to talk so much, tell me something and you might live. Who are you, and why are you trying to kill me?"

"We're guards stationed in Nibelhiem!" he whispered painfully. "We, we got an order today that you were suppose to be killed. That's all I know!"

"You're, you're Shinra?" She questioned, disbelieving. The man nodded frantically, his eyes transfixed on the utensil threatening to impale his eye. The blonde frowned; it was possible he was lying, but she wasn't about to take a chance. It didn't make any sense, but she had no intention on staying here to make sense of it. Shinra rarely wasted opportunities.

"Guess it's time to go." She said glumly as she tossed the plastic fork to the side. The guard breathed a sigh of relief, before he noticed the woman pull out her newly acquired knife. His relief turned to horror as she shifted her knee from his chest to his neck, closing his windpipe and cutting off his air. The guard tried standing, feeling around him, kicking in the air, but none of it did any good as she held him down; air leaving his body and a knife snaking around his head. "Sorry 'bout this," she told him absently, and he could tell from the gleam in her eye that she wasn't the least bit sorry. "But I can't have you doing something stupid, like giving me away."

* * *

Aliza climbed out the side window of the hospital slowly, cursing Vincent the entire time. She only had one functioning arm now thanks to him, which greatly reduced her speed. She also only had on her hospital gown in the middle of a very chilly, very windy, night, which she also blamed on him, no matter how illogical that sounded. 'If I every see Vincent again I'm gonna stab him. In the face.'

'Oh right, Gast killed him. Oh well.'

Once she made it to the ground, her hand fell to her pistol. Shooting it with one hand would take some getting use to, but Aliza always was a quick learner. The blonde took a look at the window one more time. She was tempted to go back; to try and find out what was happening. To see if this was all one big misunderstanding. She shook her head at that. With Shinra there were no misunderstandings when it came to targets. She's killed more than her fair share of people to know that. She didn't know why Shinra decided to try and kill her, but she knew there were plenty of reasons for them to want her dead.

* * *

Verdot's face sagged as he he heard a knocking on his door. For the past few days it's been nothing but a constant bombardment of paperwork that accompanied each visitor. His job had never been an easy one, but he grew to loath it with each second he sat in this office. With a resigned sigh, he replied, "Come in."

To his surprise, Verdot saw no paperwork in the young Turk's hands. To his utter horror, the young man infront of him looked baffled and afraid; a combination of expressions one never wants to see in his line of work. Or any for that matter.

"Sir, I have some bad news."

"Let me guess, Vincent came back from the dead again and blew up Nibelhiem." Verdot sarcastically quilped, massaging his temples with his fingers. At this point he wouldn't be surprised.

"No sir." The turk said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Aliza's gone missing."

Verdot surpressed a groan as he thought about the earful Carnelia was going to give him when she heard that her daughter went missing. 'Lovely. Now that old hag'll be breathing down my throat until we find her.' "How? Why?"

"She escaped the hospital after the guards failed to kill her. We believe she's moving towards.."

Verdot cut him off as his head snapped up, his eyes widening. "What? Why did the guards try to kill her?"

The turk looked confused again. "Because you ordered it sir." he said slowly.

A dreadful filling rocked Verdot to his core. He stood up quickly, knocking over his chair in the process, and slammed his palm on the table. "Order a full lockdown of this building! Now!"

* * *

"What's the situation Verdot?"

Verdot could hear the president's aggravated tone through the phone, and knew the days ahead were going to be unpleasent. Another Turk gone rouge? It wouldn't surprise Verdot any if the president decided to do away with the entire program, though Verdot knew it wouldn't come to that. The Turks have been far too useful over the years.

"There's been a security breach in the Turks; possibly in the whole of Shinra itself."

"Explain."

"The Shinra Guards in Nibelhiem recieved orders from my office to kill Aliza Hathorne. I never issued such an order. I have reason to believe a Turk of mine, Smith Johnson, sent the false order. I had told him to file paperwork for Aliza to be moved to Midgar, but he modified the document to fit his own agenda. By the time I found out he had long since left the building. I have my people searching Midgar for him, but I suspect they won't find him. I've locked down all the computers in the building and every guard is on alert. If we have anymore spies in our house we'll flush them out."

"What would Smith have to gain from this?"

"I couldn't say. I suspect he wanted to turn Aliza against us. Even in her state Aliza would still be a formidable opponent, and with her extensive knowledge of Shinra and the Turks, she's be an asset to any enemy Shinra would have.

"The problem is I can't think of any organization capable of getting an agent in the Turks. It's not like our enemies haven't tried before; they've just been too sloppy to get through. These people are new, and I would guess they've been here a while. We have to assume they have extensive classified information on the Turks. As a precaution, I'd suggest temporarily halting our operations until we can get this mess sorted."

"Very well."

"I would also reccommend extensive security details on any promenient science division projects. The last thing we need is out enemies getting their hands on Gast, Hollander, or Hojo, let alone their research."

"Consider it done. What will we do about the girl?"

Verdot thought carefully about how to brouch the situation. He'd like to sort the mess out and bring Aliza home, but he also had to consider her mind set and what she must be thinking. Were he in her shoes, he doubted any amount of words would convince him that this was a misunderstanding. They both knew Shinra too well to think otherwise, which was ironic, given this _was_ a misunderstanding. In all likely hood, Aliza will remain aggressive and distrustful. Remove this problem before it escalates. "Send out a few squads from Nibelhiem, have them cover from Nibelhiem to Costa de Sol. And have them shot to kill."

"Think it'll do any good?"

"Maybe. She's a Turk, but she's also alone, injured, and half naked. With any luck, the weather or some monsters will do our job for us."

* * *

Aliza cried out in agony as the beast's claws dug into her back, tearing flesh and blood from it's rightful place, causing her to fall to one knee. Instinct to perserve is all that saved her as she lunged forward, dodging another monster attempting to prey upon a seemingly downed meal. She jumped to her feet immediately, firing short bursts of automatic gunfire across the desolate wasteland, hoping to fell the pack of monsters who caught her scent and hoped for a fresh meal. Her aim was true as she made out one go down in the barely lit battleground under the moonlight. Three more remain, undetered by thier kin's death and circling her with a predator's intent.


End file.

Final Fantasy VII, Adventure, Family